


Salvation

by WinterSky101



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Emotional Baggage, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Episode: s08e10 Torn and Frayed, Family, Hurt Castiel, Hurt Samandriel, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-10
Updated: 2013-03-20
Packaged: 2017-12-04 21:24:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 32,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/715247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WinterSky101/pseuds/WinterSky101
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean, Sam, and Castiel manage to rescue Samandriel from Crowley, but it turns out that's just the tip of the really freaking big iceberg.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Let it be known that Dean doesn't like this plan.

He thinks it's a bad idea. Leaving Castiel on his own? It doesn't seem all that smart to him. But both Castiel and Sam say it'll be fine, so he's outnumbered.

"What other option do we have, Dean?" Sam asks.

Okay, so Dean's caught there. But he doesn't say that or anything, because that would be admitting defeat. Which is something Dean Winchester never does.

"Come on, Sam. This is stupid. We can't just leave Cas here. These demons obviously know what they're doing with kidnapping angels and shit."

"Dean, I am an angel of the Lord," Castiel puts in dryly. "I believe I can deal with a demon or two on my own."

"I still don't like it," Dean argues, setting his jaw.

Sam rolls his eyes. "You don't have to like it. You just have to go with the plan, Dean."

Dean sighs, but accepts it. And anyway, if something goes wrong, this means he'll be able to say "I told you so."

"So what does the sigil look like?" he asks in a long-suffering voice.

Castiel grabs Sam's hand and draws out a sigil quickly. "It looks like that. You have to destroy all of them before I can enter. And hurry, please." Castiel is trying hard not to show his discomfort, but it's still fairly obvious that the sigils are hurting him.

"Well, we have the knife, so demons shouldn't be that big a problem," Sam says. Dean nods, but he's still a little worried. There's only one knife and there's two of them to be armed. Castiel solves that problem.

"Here. Take this," he says, handing his angel blade over to Dean. "It works on demons as well as angels."

"What about you, Cas?" Dean asks, worried. "We can't just leave you here without a weapon."

Castiel sighs, sounding like he's losing what little faith in humanity he has left. "Dean, against demons, I  _am_  a weapon in my own right. I can use my Grace to 'fry' them, as you would say. Trust me. I'll be fine."

"If you say so," Dean replies. He's not buying it, not completely, but he really doesn't have time to argue. Because every second that they delay, he knows that Crowley is just torturing Samandriel more and more, and the kid seemed pretty nice, you know, for one of the dicks with wings.

Dean and Sam enter the factory and instantly get started killing the demons and destroying the sigils. It's surprisingly easy, almost like Crowley's not really trying. Either that or he never thought anyone would go after Samandriel, so he didn't need all that much security. Dean hopes it's the second. If it's the first, then this is probably a trap. He tries to rush through killing the demons and destroying the sigils as much as he can. Sam's going at an annoyingly slow pace - or he is to Dean's mind, at least. Sam doesn't think he's going all that slowly. When they get the last one broken, Castiel appears, half doubled over. Dean grabs him.

"Cas, you okay?" he asks.

Castiel nods shakily. "It must just be from the wards," he replies quietly. "They can still affect me, it seems."

Dean feels almost guilty. That's probably his fault, since he rushed it so much. He lets go of Castiel, who's able to stand upright on his own now, and goes over to the door with Sam. He tries to open it by yanking on the handle harshly, but there's no give. Then he hears a little whimper from behind him and turns around.

"Cas?" he asks, seeing his friend clutch his blade and back into a corner. "Hey, you okay?" There's no answer, which makes sense. Castiel quite obviously is  _not_  okay.

When Dean sees Castiel start having a mental breakdown or whatever, he leaves the door instantly. Sam watches him in confusion as, without a thought, Dean crouches down next to Castiel and holds him. "I've got you, Cas," Dean whispers. Castiel trembles in his embrace. Sam watches them for a moment, then starts trying to ram the door open with his shoulder. Castiel doesn't seem to notice the noise and just folds in on himself a little more. Dean just holds him comfortingly - or as comfortingly as Dean Winchester can do anything - and waits for the shaking to die down.

It happens to match up with when Sam gets the door open, luckily enough, and Dean helps Castiel to his feet. "You ready?" he asks Castiel.

Castiel gives him a look that's partially grateful, partially almost expectant, and partially something else that Dean can't read. "Yes."

Even though a minute ago, Castiel was in a ball on the floor, he enters the room ready to fight. Sam's already fighting a demon and Dean tosses him the knife, which Sam smoothly slides into the demon's chest. Dean's only weaponless for a moment before Castiel presses his angel blade into his hands for a second time and rushes over to Samandriel. A creepy looking demon wearing a lab coat and a bowtie goes over to Dean, who stabs him without a second thought. By this point, Castiel's freed Samandriel and is helping his obviously-weakened brother - not that Dean's surprised, as the demons had stuck what looked like freaking  _skewers_ or something into the poor kid's head - to the door. Sam's already killed the third and final demon, so the four leave the room together. This is starting to look more and more like a trap; surely Crowley would have more demons guarding Samandriel. And Dean knows that they're in no shape to be fighting off a big group of demons, so he really hopes they can go fast enough to avoid the upcoming ambush.

"Castiel," Samandriel pants as he clutches Castiel's coat "I… I need to tell you…"

"Hush, Samandriel," Castiel says soothingly, and Dean's shocked by the tenderness in his voice. Samandriel  _is_  Castiel's brother, but Dean's never seen Castiel show this much affection towards one of his siblings before. Normally they were too busy trying to kill each other. "I'm sure that whatever you have to tell me can wait until you heal."

"No, Castiel," Samandriel gasps. "I have to tell you. I didn't mean to, but I told Crowley things. Things I didn't even know I knew."

"No one blames you for it," Castiel says soothingly, struggling to support Samandriel's weight. Dean goes over to help him, but it seems odd. Castiel is an angel and has that super-strength thing going for him. Dean's experienced that first-hand. Surely he shouldn't need help from Dean in supporting one person.

"Castiel, I told him about the angel tablet," Samandriel says urgently. Castiel frowns slightly.

"There's an angel tablet?" Dean asks. He's ignored.

"It's alright, Samandriel. It's-" Suddenly, Castiel's voice cuts off abruptly and he puts a hand to his temple with a frown.

"Cas?" Dean asks.

Castiel's eyes are closed and his brow is furrowed. "No," he mutters. "No, I won't."

"Cas, what's wrong?" Dean asks. Castiel ignores him and closes his eyes even more tightly. He tips his head to the side a bit, but the familiar gesture isn't as comforting as Dean normally finds it (not that anyone knows he finds it comforting, because that's far too girly for Dean Winchester). It seems more like Castiel is listening to something far away. Considering the situation they're in, the last thing they need is for something to be communicating with Castiel. Dean considers that it could just be the normal Angel Radio, but considering what Castiel previously did to Heaven, Dean doubts any message from the other angels would be good.

Suddenly, Castiel's eyes jerk open and he yanks himself away from Dean and Samandriel without warning. "Go," he says, his voice urgent.

Dean frowns. "What do you mean?"

Castiel closes his eyes for a moment and sucks in a quick, pained breath, then looks at Dean again. His eyes are desperate. "Leave. Run! All of you!"

"Cas, what the hell is going on?" Dean demands.

Samandriel looks at Castiel in confusion. "Castiel, what is wrong?" he asks.

Castiel's angel blade slides into his hand, then he throws it away harshly. It clatters to the floor a few yards away. Dean frowns. Whatever's going on, it's very strange and definitely worrying him.

"Go, Samandriel! Run! You have to get away from me."

"Cas, what's going on?" Dean demands. Sam moves in to support Samandriel as Dean takes a step towards Castiel.

"Dean, please, run!" Castiel begs, which is weird in and of itself, because Castiel  _never_  begs. A second later he's doubled over in pain, clutching his head, and Dean's by his side and struggling to keep him upright.

"Cas, tell me what's going on!" Dean half-begs (and Dean normally doesn't beg either, but this is an extreme situation, so it's alright). Seeing Castiel like this is scaring him. He doesn't like seeing family in pain, especially when he can't do anything about it.

"No, I won't do it!" Castiel says firmly, talking to someone Dean can't see. Dean's stomach twists as he wonders if Castiel has truly gotten over his insanity or if he just thought he had. Then again, he could have angels in his head, which is almost as bad, if Dean thinks about it. "You can't make me do that!"

"Cas, what the hell?" Dean demands loudly. Then Castiel goes completely limp in his arms and he starts bleeding  _everywhere_  and cuts are appearing randomly and Dean has no idea where they're coming from, he just knows that Castiel's losing a lot of blood and he's covered in cuts and he's as still as a corpse. Which, to be honest, is freaking Dean out. A lot.

"Cas!" Dean half-yells. There's no response. "Cas, what's wrong?"

"Dean, we need to get out of here," Sam says urgently, looking over his shoulder. The faint sound of footsteps is audible. "Sounds like there's some company on their way."

"Dean, we can better care for Castiel if we have a bed for him," Samandriel adds.

Dean nods. "Yeah. Right. Um… Rufus's cabin?"

"Sounds good to me," Sam replies, still worriedly looking behind him. "Now let's go!"

Sam helps Samandriel walk out of the factory and Dean follows, carrying Castiel's limp body in a fireman's carry. He's completely unresponsive and it's scaring the crap out of Dean. Castiel is never like this. It's almost like Castiel isn't even in there, as if this is just an empty vessel. But if that's the case, then Dean would be even more panicked, so he forces that thought away.

"Dean, hurry up!" Sam calls. Dean starts to move faster, but he's got to support all of Castiel's weight, which makes it difficult. "Dean, there's more demons coming!"

"I know, Sammy!" Dean snaps back. He can hear them. This is definitely a trap. Normally, this is the time when Castiel would fly them out of the danger, but considering Castiel is currently slung over Dean's shoulder, that's not going to happen this time.

By the time Dean's left the building, Sam's already at the car. Dean tosses him the keys. "You drive," he says firmly. "Alfie, you get shotgun."

"What?" Samandriel asks. If Dean took a moment to think about it, he would realize that there's no way he could know what "shotgun" means in this context, but Dean  _doesn't_  take a moment to think about it. There are more important things to worry about.

Sam ignores Samandriel and frowns at Dean. "Dean, what about you?"

"I'm going in the back with Cas," Dean replies, already opening the door.

Sam's frown only deepens. "Dean, don't you think having a beat-up, bloody angel in a uniform for a fast food shop in the front seat will make the car a little conspicuous? No offense, Samandriel."

"None taken," Samandriel replies, still looking a little lost.

"I don't care," Dean replies, putting Castiel in a sitting position in the back seat. "I'm staying with Cas."

"Wouldn't it be best if you drove, I went in the passengers seat, and the angels went in the back?" Sam offers. Dean ignores the suggestion as he pulls the seatbelt across Castiel's lap.

"Dean, I swear to you that I will watch over Castiel," Samandriel adds, seeming to get a grip on the conversation again. "If there is any change in his condition, I will alert you immediately."

"I want to be with him," Dean protests, and he would normally never say such a thing, but the truth spills out from his lips. He can't bring himself to be embarrassed.

Sam sighs. "You'll do him more good if you drive. Samandriel will take care of him," he replies.

Dean sets his jaw. He doesn't like this, he really doesn't, but Sam's right. They don't have much of a choice. "Alright. Alfie, get in the back." Samandriel makes face at the name, but Dean ignores it. Samandriel is far too long a name to say on even a semi-regular basis. Alfie is much easier.

Dean goes into the driver's seat and Sam slides into the passenger's seat after helping Samandriel into the back. "You better step on it," Sam advises grimly. "There's a group of demons coming for us."

Dean turns on the car and floors the gas pedal. He hears a yelp from Samandriel. "Sorry," he calls.

"It's alright," Samandriel replies in an almost grumpy voice.

Dean makes a mental note to drive more carefully. "Alright. Next stop, Whitefish," he says in a fake-optimistic voice. In truth, he's still panicking about what's happening to Castiel and he's not feeling even remotely optimistic. He's pretty sure that his tone isn't fooling anyone, but he keeps up the façade anyway. It's what Dean Winchester does, because God forbid John Winchester's son ever show emotion. Especially not worry or panic.

 _Hang on, Cas,_ Dean thinks to himself.  _We'll get you through this._

* * *

By the time they've gotten to Whitefish, Castiel has a few new cuts on his chest and one across his forehead. Samandriel's trying to stop the bleeding in the back, but considering he's also bleeding copiously - Dean hopes he can get those stains out of the back seat - it's difficult.

"Alright, Sam, you get Alfie and I'll get Cas," Dean says as they pull up to the cabin. Sam nods.

"Dean," Samandriel says sharply. Dean turns around in his seat immediately. That tone of voice can mean nothing good. "A human arm is not meant to look this way, is it?" Dean's stomach twists as he sees a bulge in Castiel's left arm that clearly indicates a broken bone and a bad one at that. He'll definitely have to reset the break, which will hurt like hell for Castiel.

"No," Sam answers when Dean makes no move to answer. "Cas's arm is broken."

"It seems as if he's fighting someone," Samandriel muses.

Dean frowns. "His body is right here," he counters.

Samandriel looks exasperated and Dean feels a little insulted. "That doesn't mean he's not fighting. His Grace might have left his body. Perhaps he's fighting in Heaven."

"Okay, awesome," Dean replies sarcastically. "What do we do?"

Samandriel looks down. "We wait for him to wake up," he replies in a small voice.

Dean's eyes narrow. "No. No freaking way. We're not just waiting and letting some angel douche beat the shit out of Cas! Can't you go after him, Alfie?"

"Whoever Castiel is fighting must be a very powerful angel," Samandriel explains. "Castiel is far better at combat than I am. If whoever is attacking him is able to do this amount if damage to him, I would not have a chance."

"Any idea who it is?" Dean asks.

Samandriel shrugs, then winces. "No."

Something about that doesn't seem quite true, but Dean dismisses it. He'll get the information out of Samandriel later. For now, he wants to get Castiel into the cabin and, once both he and Samandriel are inside, angel-proof the shit out of it. Maybe that'll get Castiel's Grace back out of Heaven. Dean figures it's a long shot, but at the moment, he's willing to try anything.

Sam helps Samandriel into the cabin as Dean picks up Castiel (he has to do it bridal style, which is embarrassing but the only way, as a fireman's carry no longer seems like a good idea, considering the even worse shape Castiel's in) and brings him in as well. Samandriel is sitting on the couch, leaning against the back with his eyes closed, and Sam's grabbing bandages to start fixing up the angel. Dean brings Castiel into one of the bedrooms and lies him down on the bed. Helping him is a priority, obviously, but first Dean needs to angel-proof the place.

"What are you doing?" Sam asks as Dean grabs a knife and goes to slice his forearm.

"Angel-proofing the cabin," he replies.

Samandriel's eyes go wide. "You can't," he replies, looking horrified.

Dean frowns. "Why not?"

"If you do, Castiel's Grace will be stuck in Heaven. The connection between his Grace and his vessel is what's keeping him alive at the moment. If you break that, you could kill him."

Dean grits his teeth and puts down the knife. He wants to do  _something._  He doesn't know what he can do, but he knows that he can't just sit around doing nothing or he'll go crazy.

"Is there anything we can do to help Cas, Samandriel?" Sam asks as he cautiously wraps a bandage around the angel's head.

Samandriel sighs. "Tend to his wounds," he suggests. "I don't know what else we could do. Perhaps another angel could enter his mind and help him fight."

"Any idea who that other angel could be?" Dean demands.

Samandriel frowns slightly, thinking. "Well, most of the angels in Heaven are rather angry with him."

Dean rolls his eyes. "Tell me something I don't already know, Alfie," he snaps. Sam sends Dean a bitchface as he starts cleaning another one of Samandriel's wounds. The look clearly says that Dean should be nicer to Samandriel, considering the shape he's in. Dean pointedly ignores it.

"Perhaps we could ask Gabriel," Samandriel suggests. And of course, that suggestion makes the proverbial shit hit the fan.


	2. Chapter 2

"Gabriel?" both Sam and Dean exclaim in tandem. Samandriel nods, looking confused at the brothers' reaction.

"No way in hell are we calling him down!" Dean shouts.

"How is he alive? We were there when he died!" Sam demands at the same time.

"I do not understand what you are asking," Samandriel says with a frown. "I cannot hear both of you if you talk at the same time."

"How is Gabriel alive?" Sam asks, beating Dean to the punch. "He died! Lucifer killed him!"

Samandriel looks like he's been expecting that question. "After Castiel killed Raphael, there were no more archangels in Heaven," he explains. "My Father must have brought Gabriel back, for he returned to us."

"Awesome," Dean groans. "That asshole's back."

"Do you think he can help Cas?" Sam demands.

Samandriel shrugs. "Of all of the angels in Heaven, he is both the one that would most likely help to be willing to help Castiel and the one that is most likely to be _able_ to help. I believe he is our best bet."

"Of course he is," Dean groans sarcastically. He's still not a fan of Gabriel. Sam seems to have no such qualms, which Dean finds a little weird. He thought that his brother hated Gabriel at least as much as he did. Yeah, Gabriel killed Dean a thousand times, but Dean doesn't remember it. Considering Sam does, Dean thought that his brother hated Gabriel for it. Then again, Sam's never held grudges as long as Dean does, so maybe he forgave Gabriel after he died.

"Okay. How do we call him?" Sam asks.

Samandriel shrugs again. "He'll probably come if you pray," he suggests.

Sam nods, then closes his eyes. "Gabriel, great and powerful pain in our asses, get down here to save your brother," he tries. Samandriel looks slightly scandalized. Dean wonders what he would think of the prayers that he normally sends up to Castiel. Sam cracks open one eye. Nothing.

"Awesome," Dean groans. "So now what?"

"Now I clean up your mess, Dean-o," an annoyingly familiar voice states. Both Sam and Dean turn to see Gabriel standing behind them with his usual cocky smile. "Hi, boys. Miss me?"

"You haven't changed at all, have you?" Sam asks in a fond voice. Dean wonders why the hell the dick of an archangel gets anything but a pissed-off voice, but he doesn't say anything.

"Nope! And you know you're happy I didn't."

"Not sure that's the word for it," Dean grumbles.

Gabriel gives him a look. "Now, now, Dean, don't be so grumpy. I am here to save your boyfriend, after all."

"He's not my boyfriend," Dean instantly protests. Because he's  _not_. Yeah, he and Castiel are good friends, but there's nothing more there. They're just friends. Close friends. He has no idea why everyone seems to think that they're a couple.

Gabriel gives him a condescending pat on the shoulder. "Of  _course_  he's not, Dean." Gabriel gives Sam an exaggerated wink. Sam smirks. Dean resists the urge to kill both of them.

"Are you going to help Cas or not?" he demands, shrugging Gabriel's hand off his shoulder.

Gabriel sighs. "Demanding, aren't we? Alright, Dean-o. Lead the way."

Dean leads Gabriel to the bedroom Castiel's in - he feels uncomfortable with Gabriel behind him, but Sam's there too and he hopes his brother will give him a warning if Gabriel tries anything - and opens the door. Gabriel pushes past him over to Castiel, frowning.

"Tell me what happened. Exactly," he demands.

Dean swallows hard. "We went to go rescue Samandriel and on the way out, Cas started freaking out and saying that he wouldn't do something."

"Wouldn't do what?" Gabriel asks.

Dean shrugs. "I don't know. He was talking to himself. Then he passed out and started bleeding all over the place. He hasn't woken up since."

"And he had a panic attack or something before we got to Samandriel," Sam puts in.

Dean nods. "Yeah. He just started freaking out for no reason." Dean's watching every move Gabriel makes. He really doesn't like leaving Castiel's wellbeing in his hands. He does remember that Gabriel cared, and probably still cares, a lot for his family, but Dean still feels uncomfortable. And the feeling is completely platonic, of course. Castiel has always had Dean's back, and Dean wants to be sure that he has Castiel's when the angel needs it.

"I'm going to try and figure out where he is," Gabriel declares after a moment of silence.

Dean frowns. "You mean his Grace isn't in this body?"

Gabriel shakes his head. "I think his Grace is in Heaven. But I was just up there and I didn't sense it, which is weird. Why is it that you three always end up being the ones that this shit happens to?" Gabriel asks conversationally.

Sam rolls his eyes. "Stellar luck," he replies sarcastically. Dean wishes they'd quit the foreplay - and now he has to bleach his brain, considering the image of a completely different type of foreplay between Sam and Gabriel that just entered it - and just get on with healing Castiel already.

Gabriel laughs, then puts his hands on Castiel's temples. "Be right back, boys," he says in a jaunty tone, sitting down on the bed. A moment later, Sam and Dean realize it's a really good thing that he did so, as Gabriel's body falls backwards the second he closes his eyes.

* * *

Castiel is desperately trying to keep Naomi away from him, using the chairs and the desk and whatever else he can find as a shield. The room is covered in feathers from one of the pillows that Castiel had used to prevent Naomi from slashing his face off. She slashed the pillow open instead and Castiel managed to use the distraction to summon his own angel blade. But even though he's now armed, it doesn't mean he and Naomi are even remotely on equal footing. When Castiel first arrived in the white room, he found himself tied down and Naomi had been taking her sweet time about punishing him for going against her orders. It had taken a while to escape from that and he had ended up breaking his left arm in the struggle, but he managed to free himself and get himself in a position where he could fight back.

But he's losing. Horribly. His left arm is useless at his side and he's bleeding everywhere. Every time Naomi swings at him, it becomes a little harder to block the blow. Only the all-encompassing desire that Castiel has to return to his brother and the Winchesters is keeping him from giving up. Still, he can't fight for much longer.

"Do you see how stupid you are?" Naomi hisses as she swings again. Castiel barely manages to stop the swipe from slitting his throat. "To think that you could go against me? You should have just killed Samandriel and been done with it."

"I will not kill my brother," Castiel swears through gritted teeth, struggling to push Naomi away.

She laughs. "Oh, like you didn't kill Balthazar?" The very name hits Castiel like a stab through the heart. "Or Rachel? Or every single one of Raphael's followers? You are a murderer, Castiel. And you will  _never_  atone for the blood on your hands."

"You're wrong," Castiel replies desperately.

Naomi smiles condescendingly and shakes her head. "But you know I'm not. You know that you will never be able to wash those stains away. So many of your siblings died at your hands. And every single one was your fault." Naomi punctuates every word of the last sentence with a swing and Castiel barely manages to fend off all of them. By the last one, he's fallen to the ground and is barely able to hold his blade up in a weak pantomime of a defense.

"No one is ever past all hope of atonement," he replies feebly.

Naomi shakes her head. "You're wrong, Castiel. You are a monster. An abomination. A blight against Heaven. And you must be destroyed."

"Maybe you should ask the one that's in charge of Heaven about that," a voice muses. Naomi spins around in shock and Castiel lets out a sigh of relief as the relentless assault pauses. Behind Naomi is a familiar form that Castiel couldn't be happier to see. "How are you doing, little bro?" Gabriel asks, twirling his own angel blade. "You don't look too hot."

"Hello, Gabriel," Castiel replies tiredly. "Later, I'd like to hear how you escaped the clutches of death yet again."

Gabriel grins. "Nothing you haven't done before, Cas," he replies. "There was a lack of archangel power in Heaven, so Daddy brought me back. You're not the only one anymore. Ha!"

Castiel rolls his eyes fondly. Gabriel was always one of his favorite brothers and he's glad to see that that relationship hasn't changed.

Naomi looks from Castiel to Gabriel. "What are you doing here, Gabriel?" she finally demands, her voice low and angry.

"Well, a pair of plaid-flannel-wearing birdies told me that Cas here was in deep shit," Gabriel replies nonchalantly, taking a step towards Naomi. "And since Cas happens to be one of my favorite brothers, I figured why the hell not? I'll help him out."

"Castiel has committed numerous crimes against Heaven!" Naomi snarls. "He must be punished for them!"

"Not your call to make," Gabriel replies in a voice that, while still lighthearted, is a bit more dangerous.

Naomi looks furious. "He has killed-"

"Yes, he's killed other angels. He was put in a shitty situation and he did the best he could with it. He screwed up, but it wasn't really his fault. And just because you, Naomi, worshipped the ground that Raphael walked on doesn't mean that he didn't screw up too."

"You would say such things of you own  _brother_?" Naomi demands.

Gabriel shrugs. "Cas is my brother too. And to be honest? Raphael was always a bit of a dick." Gabriel takes another step towards Naomi and suddenly all playfulness has left his expression.

"Now Naomi, I'm giving you two choices. One, you get the hell out of here and leave Castiel alone. Two…you die."

"You wouldn't kill me," Naomi replies furiously. "You wouldn't kill your own sister."

"I don't want to do it," Gabriel replies. "But I will if I have to."

Naomi takes a step towards Gabriel, her expression daring him to do something about it. "Naomi, don't make me do this," Gabriel half-begs. Naomi glares at him, but doesn't respond. She takes another step.

The next moment, Gabriel's impaling Naomi with his angel blade and her mouth is a perfect O in surprise. Castiel closes his eyes as his sister dies, exploding in light. Gabriel holds the empty vessel for a moment before letting it fall to the floor of the white room, which is now has giant, blackened wings decorating it. Gabriel's blade has disappeared from his hands and his eyes are closed. When he reopens them a moment later, they're full of mischief and the archangel seems to be as he normally is.

"Thank you, Gabriel," Castiel says softly.

Gabriel smiles widely. "No prob, little bro. I couldn't let Naomi kill one of my favorite brothers, could I?"

Castiel smiles back slightly in response. Gabriel goes over to him and helps him to his feet. "Wow, you sure look like shit."

"As tactful as always," Castiel replies sarcastically.

Gabriel grins. "Why is it that you never use this humor around the Winchesters?" he asks. "You've always been one of the funniest angels in the garrison."

"I have tried," Castiel replies, looking down. "They never seem to understand that I am being humorous."

Gabriel shrugs. "Well, they're idiots. What can you do?" he asks rhetorically. Castiel smiles slightly, barely able to stay upright. "Okay, well anyway, we should go back to our vessels before Sam and Dean have conniption fits or something."

"I do not believe I will be able to awaken for a while," Castiel replies, looking over his body. "I have a lot of damage I must repair."

"Yeah, I think you should definitely get some quality sleep time too," Gabriel replies, looking over Castiel as well. "Might freak Dean out a bit, but hey! That's always fun to do anyways."

Castiel smiles slightly. "Gabriel, thank you again," he repeats. "I know you do not like killing our siblings."

"I couldn't let her kill you," Gabriel replies, his voice oddly serious. "I didn't have another choice."

"Still. Thank you."

The moment is lasting a bit longer than Castiel finds comfortable and Gabriel seems to feel the same way. "Anyway!" he exclaims, clapping. "I'm going back to my vessel. I think I might have a date waiting for me on Earth."

"Who?" Castiel asks in spite of himself.

Gabriel smiles wickedly. "Sammy Winchester," he replies, then he disappears. Castiel is shocked for a moment, then he chuckles and shakes his head fondly.

He supposes it would be rather hypocritical to scold his brother for liking Sam when he likes Dean in the same way.

* * *

Gabriel reenters his body with an overdramatic gasp. Sam jumps and Dean pulls out his gun before realizing it's just him. Sam notices his brother keeps the gun in his hands and has to fight to keep from rolling his eyes. Gabriel is  _good_. He proved that when he sacrificed himself so they could get away from Lucifer. And, to tell the truth, Sam's known that Gabriel wasn't a bad guy for a lot longer than just that. He's never really thought the Trickster was all that evil. And it turns out that he's right. Dean can hate Gabriel all he wants, but Sam won't.

And even if Gabriel was evil, a gun wouldn't do shit against him.

"You okay?" Sam asks, going over to Gabriel's side.

He nods. "Yeah, fine," he replies, his voice a little breathy but otherwise normal.

Dean frowns. "And Cas?"

Gabriel nods. "Your boyfriend's fine too, Dean-o," he replies. "But he'll be out for a bit. Nothing too serious, but enough to keep him down for the count."

Dean still looks worried. Gabriel sighs. "Should we leave you two alone?" he asks. Dean throws him a glare. "I think that's a yes. Come on, Sammy. We don't want to crash your big brother's date."

"Screw you, Gabriel," Dean snaps. Gabriel only smiles and stands. He pulls Sam out of the bedroom and into the hallway, where he turns and looks at Sam. Sam looks over Gabriel as well. He's been hoping for this moment for a long time. It's not going even remotely the way he thought it would go, but it's not all that bad either.

"Well. You're still as ridiculously tall as ever," Gabriel says with a grin.

Sam grins back. "And you're still short. Nothing's changed in that respect."

Gabriel sticks his tongue out at Sam and conjures a lollipop out of nowhere. "You want one?" he asks Sam as he pops the candy into his mouth.

Sam rolls his eyes. "No, Gabe. Unlike you, I'm not five."

"I'll have you know that I've been around for millennia, young man," Gabriel replies in a fake-scolding tone. Sam grins, then, struck by some strange urge, he hugs Gabriel gently. Even though he knows the small frame in front of him is inhabited by an archangel, he still feels like he needs to be careful with Gabriel. It's a ridiculous feeling, but Sam can't seem to shake it.

"I missed you," he whispers.

Gabriel grins and hugs Sam back. "Missed you too, Gigantor," he replies. Sam closes his eyes. To have this finish the way he always imagined it would, he has one more thing to do. He's a bit worried about doing it, but Sam has wanted to forever and, considering this might be one of his last chances to do so, he's a little desperate.

"Gabriel?" Sam asks cautiously.

Gabriel frowns slightly in confusion. "What?"

"I'm going to do something and, um… don't smite me for it."

"Now this is getting interesting," Gabriel replies with a grin. "What are you planning on-"

Then Gabriel's voice is cut off as Sam kisses him hard. Gabriel grins and leans into the kiss, allowing Sam to basically do whatever he wants. When Sam finally pulls away, Gabriel smiles widely.

"Now why would I smite you for that?" he asks.

Sam just sighs. The kiss was better than he ever imagined it would be. And it was real, which makes it all the more wonderful. Sam's only regret is waiting so long to kiss Gabriel. He should have done it long before. "I've been wanting to do that for a very log time," he admits.

Gabriel grins. "So have I," he replies. "And let me tell you, you do not disappoint. You're just as good a kisser as I always thought you would be."

"Glad to know I meet expectations," Sam replies with a grin. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised. There was a bit of a theme with the TV thing, wasn't there? Between that goddamn nutcracker thing and the genital herpes ad?"

"Yeah, that was totally on purpose," Gabriel replies.

Sam grins. "You're crazy," he says fondly.

Gabriel grins back. "You know you love me," he replies.

Sam pretends to think for a moment, then nods. "Yeah, I guess I do."

Then Gabriel pulls him in for another kiss and Sam is very,  _very_  happy that he's alive once more.


	3. Chapter 3

It's been an hour since Gabriel did whatever-the-hell-he-did to Castiel and Castiel still hasn't woken up. Dean's spent the whole time worrying. He doesn't know much about angels and he'll admit that freely, but he assumes that the longer that Castiel's unconscious, the more injured he is. And considering Castiel didn't have any trouble healing after Dean pumped him full of bullets and stabbed him in the chest the first time they met, Dean doesn't even want to think about what level of damage must have been inflicted to make Castiel be unconscious for an hour.

"May I come in?" a quiet voice asks. Dean turns to see Samandriel standing in the doorway. He's no longer covered in blood, so Dean assumes that Sam showed him the shower, and a pristine white bandage is wrapped around his head. He's wearing clothes that Dean doesn't recognize. He guesses that Gabriel conjured them up or something. They're definitely better than the bloodied and torn fast-food uniform.

"Yeah, sure," Dean says in response to Samandriel's request. "Come in." Samandriel enters the room shyly. Dean offers him his chair, but he refuses. "How's your head?" Dean asks, really just for something to say.

Samandriel's hand drifts to his forehead, seemingly unconsciously. "Fine. It is healing nicely."

Dean nods. "Oh. Okay. That's, um, that's good." The atmosphere is slightly awkward and Dean almost wishes that Samandriel would leave, even though he knows that he has more of a right to be with Castiel than he does. They are brothers, after all.

"This is my fault," Samandriel says softly, looking sadly at Castiel's limp body on the bed.

Dean frowns. "How could this be your fault?"

Samandriel looks down at the floor. "I think that the reason that Castiel was injured was because he refused to follow orders," he says softly. "And I believe those orders had to do with me."

"But Cas hasn't been working with Heaven for a while now," Dean replies with a frown. "Why would the angels only punish him now?"

"For quite a while now, Castiel has been working with an angel named Naomi. She's very powerful. She's been making Castiel work with her."

"What?" Dean demands angrily.

Samandriel shifts. "It was not of his volition. She's been making him do what she wants. And I believe she ordered Castiel to kill me."

"To  _kill_  you?" Dean asks. It seems that the more and more Samandriel explains, the more confused Dean becomes.

"I told Crowley about the angel tablet," Samandriel replies dejectedly. "That information is very sacred. I didn't even know I knew it until Crowley discovered the information in my mind. And I told him of it. That's one of the worst crimes an angel can commit. It is second only to rebellion. The punishment is death."

"But it wasn't your fault," Dean protests. "You were tortured. You didn't really tell him."

"Regardless," Samandriel replies. "Naomi would undoubtedly have asked Castiel to kill me. And if he refused, she would have punished him severely. As I am still alive…"

"That doesn't mean it's your fault," Dean replies strictly. "You shouldn't blame yourself for this. This is Naomi's doing, and only Naomi's."

"But this would not have happened if not for me," Samandriel replies, and he looks positively miserable. "I am the one to blame for this. Castiel nearly died. Gabriel said that Naomi would have killed him if he hadn't gotten there in time."

"That was Naomi's fault, not yours," Dean replies, though what Samandriel says makes Dean go cold. Gabriel didn't tell him that. "Don't blame yourself, Alfie. I can guarantee you that Castiel won't blame you. I mean, Sam and I have done shit much worse than what you did and he doesn't hate us. And he's rebelled himself, which you said was the one thing worse than telling about the angel tablet."

"But look at what happened to him!" Samandriel protests, gesturing at Castiel, who's still immobile on the bed. "I am the reason he's this badly hurt."

"I got him killed," Dean replies. "A few times. And we're sill friends. Trust me. Cas won't blame you."

"He's my  _brother_ , Dean," Samandriel protests. "My older brother. I have looked up to him for centuries. And now look what I have done to him!"

"Hey." Dean puts his hands on Samandriel's shoulders. He looks ready to cry, if that's even possible. "Look at me, Samandriel." More than anything, Dean thinks calling him by his name catches Samandriel's attention. "Cas will  _not_  blame you for this. I promise you that. Remember what you told me when we first met?"

"I said that having too much heart was always Castiel's problem," Samandriel mumbles.

Dean nods. "Exactly. And so he will forgive you for this. I've died for Sam before. And he's done things that are much worse than what you did. He released Lucifer, for God's sake. And I still love him. Cas will do the same."

"Do you really think so?" Samandriel asks, sounding a little hopeful.

Dean grins. "I do. Maybe you should talk to Sam about this. I bet he could help you more than I can." And that  _definitely_  isn't a subtle ploy to get rid of Samandriel. Dean likes him, he really does. But he wants to be alone with Castiel again. Which means that Samandriel has to leave.

"I think I will," Samandriel replies. "Thank you, Dean."

"No problem," Dean replies, going back over to his chair next to Castiel's bed.

Samandriel smiles slightly. "You and Castiel care for each other deeply," he says softly. Dean looks over at Samandriel in confusion. "Neither of you enjoy speaking about your emotions, but I have seen Castiel talk about you before. I have never seen him show as many emotions as he did when he spoke of you. And you show a devotion that is difficult to match." Dean's still not sure that he understands where this is going. Samandriel shrugs. "Just… um, what do you humans say? Food for thought?" Dean nods, puzzled. Samandriel smiles again, then steps out of the room, leaving a very confused Dean behind him.

* * *

"Samandriel's leaving Castiel's room," Gabriel informs Sam in between placing kisses on the hunter's neck.

Sam moans in pleasure as Gabriel's teeth graze against his jugular. "Let him," he gasps out. "I don't care."

"He'll probably say something that'll tip Dean off," Gabriel warns. "You don't want to give your big brother a heart attack, do you?"

"Screw Dean," Sam moans, his hips bucking forward unconsciously as Gabriel slides his hands up his legs.

"A threesome?" Gabriel asks with a mischievous grin. "I like the way you think, Sammy."

"Oh, eww!" Sam groans, pulling away from Gabriel. "That's disgusting."

"Got you to start using your upstairs brain, didn't it?" Gabriel replies. "You're welcome."

Sam shudders with disgust. "I'm not going to thank you for putting that image into my head."

Gabriel shrugs. "Dean wouldn't agree to it anyway. He's too busy pining after Castiel. But maybe, after they get together, all four of us-"

"Gabriel!" Sam half-shouts.

Gabriel's grinning widely. "Do you like that idea, Sammy?" he teases.

Sam makes a disgusted face. "That is so wrong on so many levels, Gabriel. Castiel is your brother! And Dean is mine!"

"Well, Cas always was one of my favorite brothers…" Gabriel's voice trails off and he winks lewdly at Sam, who mimes gagging.

"Please stop talking, Gabriel," he begs.

Gabriel grins. "I'm just messing with you. Little bro's still a virgin. As far as I know, at least."

Sam glares at Gabriel. "Is Samandriel  _actually_  coming or did you make me want to throw up for nothing?"

Gabriel sighs exaggeratedly. "He's coming. I just slowed time around us for a little bit so that we could have a little extra time."

"You slowed  _time_?" Sam demands after a stunned pause.

Gabriel grins. "Archangel, remember? And head of Heaven. I can do that sort of shit. But not for too long. It'll probably destroy the universe or something. So you'd better hurry up and make yourself presentable."

"What about you?" Sam asks, gesturing at Gabriel, who's about as disheveled as Sam is.

Gabriel grins and snaps his fingers. In a moment, he's looking normal again. "I repeat.  _Archangel_."

"Can you do that for me?" Sam asks.

Gabriel looks like he's thinking about it for a moment. "Well, that ruins all the fun, but I suppose…" Gabriel snaps again and Sam's hair goes back to its normal style and the wrinkles in his clothes smooth out. "There you go. And I should probably put time back to normal again."

"I could get used to this," Sam muses.

Gabriel grins as he snaps his fingers a third time, setting time back to normal. "I'm not going to do everything for you, Sammy. Like that hickey on your neck. Still there."

Sam's eyes go wide and his hand flies to his neck. "Where?"

Gabriel laughs. "Just messing with you, kiddo. There's no hickey." Sam glares at Gabriel. "What you need to worry about is where I wrote 'Property of Gabriel' across your ass."

"What?" Sam half-shouts.

Of course, it's that moment that Samandriel comes in to the living room, looking confused. "Is something wrong, Sam?"

Sam sighs. "No. Gabriel's just being an asshole. Do you need anything?"

"Dean sent me to talk with you," Samandriel replies shyly. "He… Well, he said that maybe you could help me."

"Help you with what?" Sam asks, frowning slightly. He wants to go over to Samandriel, but if he really  _does_  have "Property of Gabriel" written on his pants, he doesn't want anyone to see.

"I believe I am to blame for Castiel's injuries. Dean disagrees with me and told me that you would be better at arguing the point than I am."

"Why the hell do you think you're to blame?" Sam asks.

Suddenly, Samandriel seems to find the floor very interesting. "Because this only started once I told him that I told Crowley about the angel tablet."

"None of us upstairs blame you for that," Gabriel puts in. "We know that you were tortured. Hell, most of us probably would have given in before you did."

"But I believe that Naomi commanded that Castiel kill me!" Samandriel cries. "And when he did not, she punished him!"

"Which makes this Naomi's fault," Sam replies. "She made a bad call, Castiel didn't listen, and she punished him for it. Where are you in this equation?"

"The 'bad call,' as you put it, was regarding me. I cannot help but feel guilty."

"But you're not," Sam replies. He smiles softly at Samandriel. "You're not to blame, and Castiel won't be mad at you."

"And anyway, the orders thing with you wasn't the main reason that Naomi was hurting Cas," Gabriel adds. Samandriel looks at him in confusion. "She was a big fan of Raphael's. Didn't you know that? Anyway, she was all pissed at Cas for killing him and decided to take it upon herself to declare him an 'abomination of Heaven' or something. That's why she wanted to kill him. Not because he disobeyed orders."

"Oh." Sam can tell by Samandriel's tone of voice that he still feels a little guilty, but he hopes that he and Gabriel have helped. Suddenly hungry, Sam gets up without thinking and turns to go to the kitchen.

"Sam?" Samandriel asks.

Sam turns around. "Yeah?"

"Why do your pants say 'Property of Gabriel'?"

Gabriel almost falls off the couch laughing. Samandriel just looks puzzled. Sam grits his teeth.

"Samandriel, would anyone mind if killed your brother?"

* * *

When Castiel finally wakes up, it's only after Dean's spent another anxious hour by his bed. He's starting to nod off himself, but he forces himself not to. He has to wait for Castiel to wake up. He doesn't want to sleep through that.

Unlike his brother, Castiel doesn't wake up dramatically. Instead, he slowly opens his eyes, reminding Dean of a kitten, oddly enough. It's kinda cute, but considering Dean is a guy and so is Castiel, the word "cute" should not be used.

"Hey," Dean says softly as Castiel's eyes fully open. "Welcome back."

"Hello, Dean," Castiel replies. His voice is hoarse and even deeper than normal. Dean grabs the bottle of water he's been absentmindedly drinking from and offers it to him. Castiel accepts it gratefully, which isn't normal for him, but hopefully is just because he expended so much energy healing himself.

"Thank you, Dean," he says softly as he pulls away from the bottle.

Dean grins slightly and recaps it. "No problem, Cas. How're you feeling?"

"Better than I was before, but that's not saying much," Castiel replies, stretching slightly and wincing.

"You don't look too good," Dean replies.

Castiel smiles wryly. "You're as tactful as Gabriel," he replies. Dean doesn't think that's a compliment. "He said about the same thing when he…" Castiel stops talking and swallows hard. He looks worried for some reason and thus Dean is instantly worried as well.

"Is something wrong, Cas?" he asks anxiously.

Castiel refuses to meet his eyes. "I… Dean, please believe me when I say I did  _not_  want to do this."

"Want to do  _what_ , Cas?" Dean asks. This doesn't sound good. For anyone else, it might seem like being overly paranoid, but considering how Dean's life typically is, he doesn't think he's being ridiculous.

"For a while now, there's been an angel called Naomi that has been forcing me to work with her. I swear I didn't mean to do it, Dean. I know I've messed up before, with Crowley, but this wasn't the same thing. She made me do it and I couldn't stop her." Castiel looks desperate and miserable.

Dean surprises him by smiling slightly. "I know. Samandriel already told us."

Castiel still looks worried. "I will find a way to make this up to you, Dean," he promises.

Dean shakes his head. "You don't have to make it up to me, Cas. It's not your fault. I don't blame you for any of this. Anyway, nothing happened, Naomi's dead, so no harm done, right?"

"Yes, but-"

"No buts," Dean replies firmly. He actually goes so far as to put a finger over Castiel's lips, which is strange and not at all like Dean, but he doesn't pull his hand away. "I'm not mad, I don't blame you, it's fine."

"But Dean-"

"I said no buts!" Dean repeats. "Cas, this isn't your fault. I don't blame you. It's fine. Just calm down."

Castiel sighs deeply and shifts, obviously trying to sit up. Dean moves to help him. It seems wrong to have him so weak that he has to be propped up and helped to a sitting position, but whatever happened in Heaven seemed to have drained Castiel. A lot.

"So what happened, exactly?" Dean asks. Castiel looks at him in confusion. "In Heaven. What happened?"

Castiel takes a shuddering breath. Dean wonders if he shouldn't have asked. "Naomi commanded that I kill Samandriel," he says in his normal deep voice. There's only a slight undercurrent of emotion that you wouldn't notice if you didn't know Castiel. Fortunately, Dean knows the angel very well and can sense the feeling. "I told her I would not, and she forcibly removed my Grace from my vessel. However, as Jimmy's soul is gone-"

"Jimmy's soul is gone?" Dean asks, interrupting. He feels like a bit of a dick for cutting in, but this is new.

"His soul has been in Heaven since I first died at the hands of Raphael years ago," Castiel replies, looking a little confused. "No human could have withstood that. I have been alone in this vessel for years."

"Well, at least he's at peace," Dean replies. He didn't really know Jimmy at all, but he seemed nice enough. And he had a nice family. It's a shame that he didn't get to see them again, but at least Jimmy isn't - how did he say it? - chained to a comet anymore.

"Yes," Castiel replies. After a pause, he picks up the thread of his narrative again. "As I was saying, Naomi took me from my vessel. But as Jimmy's soul no longer resides in this body, the connection I have with it is much stronger. That is why my injuries appeared on this body while I was gone from it." Castiel pauses again and Dean wonders if he should push him or if that's a bad idea. He turns out not to have to. Castiel continues after a moment. "In Heaven, Naomi strapped me down and tortured me. After a while, I was able to free myself. Naomi tried to kill me and I tried to keep her away. At a certain point, I was unable to do so any longer and would have undoubtedly died had Gabriel not appeared when he did."

"Why didn't you wake up after Gabriel saved you? It's been two hours, Cas." Dean tries not to sound accusing, but he thinks he does, just a little bit.

"I had to repair the injuries to my Grace. Had I returned to this body, it would have fled from me and I would have done the angelic equivalent of bleeding out." Castiel shifts slightly again and winces. "But I have not yet repaired the damage to this body."

"Shit, Cas," Dean says softly. It's only truly hitting him now that he came very,  _very_  close to losing the angel. "That bitch really did a number on you, didn't she?"

"I don't understand that reference," Castiel replies wearily. "But if you mean that Naomi caused a great deal of damage to my true form and body, then yes, you are correct."

Dean flinches slightly. "You really don't beat around the bush, do you?"

Castiel tips his head to the side slightly. "'Beat around the bush'?"

Dean sighs. "It's an expression. It doesn't matter. What matters is that you're okay now. Right?"

"I am much better," Castiel replies, looking slightly dubious.

Dean nods once. "Then that's what matters." Dean smiles, just a little bit. "It's good to have you back, Cas."


	4. Chapter 4

When Samandriel feels a tug from Heaven, he immediately follows it. It's been nearly a full day since he was rescued by Sam, Dean, and Castiel, and he's healed enough to return home. The bandages have been taken off his head, and while you can still see the marks of where the screws were if you move his hair aside, they're healed enough. Besides, he can't ignore a direct call, especially one of this power. He's not quite sure where the call is taking him, but he follows it anyway and finds himself in a place full of light.

The first thing he notices is warmth. It reminds Samandriel of the ocean somehow, that big blue expanse that he had always wanted to explore. He and Castiel had tried to sneak off with Balthazar to see the sea as fledglings, but Hester had found them and brought them to Zachariah, who gave them such a stern talking-to that they never tried to leave again. Samandriel wishes they had. He wonders if he can go to the ocean now, but if he's being recalled to Heaven, he probably won't have time to do so.

The next thing that Samandriel notices is a pathway. The brightness around him is slowly morphing itself into an arbor of trees that are overshadowing a dirt path. Samandriel takes a step forward and realizes that he's still in the body of his vessel. Or maybe he's just imagining himself in a body like the one he uses on Earth. He can't be sure. But that thought leaves swiftly and is replaced by a curiosity to see where the path leads. And so, not quite sure what he's doing but sure that it needs to be done, Samandriel begins to walk where the path takes him.

Towards the end of the path, Samandriel can see a male figure. He keeps going forward and goes up to the man. Right when he's behind him, the man turns and smiles warmly. Samandriel's eyes go wide and he falls to his knees, looking down.

"Father," he whispers, for before him is God.

God places a hand on his shoulder and Samandriel looks up. His Father is still smiling at him. "Do not kneel before me, Samandriel." The voice of God is both male and female, young and old, weak and strong. "I am a loving Father, not one that demands worship." Samandriel stands, but he still averts eye contact. God puts two fingers under his chin and lifts his head. "Look upon me, Samandriel, for you are my son and I love you."

"I am honored that you would speak to me, Father," Samandriel replies, his voice almost completely steady. "But I must ask why."

"I have a job for you, Samandriel," God replies.

Samandriel's eyes go wide. "A j-job? For me?" he asks. "Father, you must be mistaken. I am not worthy of such an honor."

"I believe it is up to me to decide who is worthy of this honor," God replies gently.

Samandriel nods frantically, hoping that what he said was not mistaken as insolence. "Of course you are, Father. But I simply do not understand why you have deemed me worthy of such."

"You are worthy of it, Samandriel. The task I will lay before you will be difficult, but I believe you can do it."

"I will not fail," Samandriel promises.

God smiles softly. "I know you will not. Samandriel, your job is to rescue Adam Milligan from Hell."

Samandriel's eyes go almost comically wide. "Rescue Adam Milligan?" he repeats, his voice weak. God nods. "From Lucifer's Cage?"

"I told you it would be difficult," God replies, sounding almost amused. "You will have my blessing. It will protect you and aid you in your task. And I trust that you will succeed."

"Y-yes, Father. I shall leave directly."

"Good," God replies softly. "When you have completed your mission, take Adam to the cabin where the Winchesters, Castiel, and Gabriel are. He ought to be with his brothers. And give this to Castiel." God holds out a scroll that was not in His hand a moment before and Samandriel takes it reverently. "And beware, Samandriel. Hell is a faithless place. You will find yourself losing your conviction the longer you are there. But when you do, remember that I have given you my blessing. And know that I love you."

"I will not lose my faith, Father," Samandriel promises.

God smiles. "I know you will not. That is why I have entrusted this task to you. Adam Milligan has spent far too long in Hell. You must rescue him."

"And I shall," Samandriel replies with a confidence he doesn't fully feel. "I swear to you that I shall."

God kisses Samandriel gently on the forehead, and then his surroundings fade back to pure white. Filled with both a sense of purpose and a nerve-wracking fear, Samandriel dives into Hell, the ghost of his Father's kiss still tingling on his forehead.

* * *

Castiel sighs deeply as Dean frets over him. He's sitting on the couch, as Dean refused to let him stand. He can see Sam and Gabriel shooting each other amused looks behind Dean's back, but Dean is unaware. "Dean, I do not require this amount of assistance," Castiel protests, but Dean is having none of it.

"Cas, you still haven't been able to gather enough energy to heal yourself. Which means you're covered in cuts and your arm is still broken. Let me help, okay?"

"Dean, I am  _fine_ ," Castiel argues. Sam and Gabriel still look far too amused by Dean's actions. Castiel shoots them a glare, but it does nothing to dissuade them. On the contrary, it seems to only amuse them more, if their expressions are anything to go by.

Dean leans over to shift one of Castiel's bandages again and Castiel snaps. His right hand jerks up and grabs Dean's wrist tightly. "Dean," he hisses angrily. "I am fine. I have withstood far worse than this before. I do not need for you to treat me like a child any longer."

"But Cas-"

"Dean,  _stop_ ," Castiel growls. He can feel his wings tensing and quivering slightly with anger.

Gabriel's eyebrows shoot up. "Wow, Cas. Didn't realize you were that pissed."

"Gabriel, your assistance is not required," Castiel snaps. Gabriel puts his hands up in a gesture of surrender.

"What do you mean?" Dean asks, looking over at the archangel.

Gabriel jerks his head towards Cas. "Little bro's wings are freaking out. I mean, he's been tense since he woke up, but now he's just plain mad."

"Cas, I'm just trying to help," Dean says in a small voice. Castiel sighs. He's not quite sure how the situation devolved into this. He knows he's being slightly ridiculous, but as Gabriel already said, he's been on edge since he awoke. Dean being this overbearing is just the final straw.

"Wait a sec," Gabriel says, peering intently at Castiel's wings. "What the hell happened to you, Cas?"

Castiel pulls his wings in protectively. "Nothing," he replies shortly.

Gabriel rolls his eyes. "Yeah, like I'm going to believe that. What the hell did Naomi do?"

" _Nothing_ , Gabriel," Castiel repeats. He pulls his wings in even further.

"Castiel," Gabriel says in a scolding voice. "Tell me." His voice is tinged with just the mere suggestion of his full power. It's small enough that he's not directly commanding Castiel, but strong enough that it's difficult to go against. Not impossible, though.

"It is none of your concern," Castiel insists. Pulling his wings in is painful, but he'd rather bear the pain than have Gabriel be as ridiculous as Dean's being.

"Cas, your wings definitely don't look right," Gabriel says sternly. "Tell me what happened to them."

"Cas, is something wrong with your wings?" Dean asks. Castiel wants to storm away - or better yet, fly away - but neither of them are an option at the moment, with the condition he's in.

"This does not concern any of you," Castiel says in a harsh voice. "What happened to me is my business."

"You're my little brother, Castiel," Gabriel says severely. "That makes it my problem."

"And we're family too, Cas," Dean adds. Sam, who's been silent the whole time, pushes past Gabriel and goes over to Castiel. He crouches in front of him so they're at eye level.

"Cas," he says in a soft voice. "If Dean or I were hurt and we weren't letting you see it, what would you do?"

"That has no bearing on this-"

"Answer me, Cas," Sam interrupts.

Castiel sighs. "I would heal you anyway," he mutters. He knows where this is going.

Sam nods. "Exactly. That works the other way around too. We just want to help, Cas."

"I don't need your help," Castiel replies. He's aware of the fact that he sounds like a petulant child, but he doesn't care.

Sam smiles slightly. "Humor us, Cas. Please."

"Fine." Castiel sighs and closes his eyes. Concentrating hard, he pushes his wings into the dimension that humans reside on, forcing them into their corporeal form. It hurts, especially considering the current state of his wings, but Castiel can endure the pain. He wasn't lying when he told Dean he had endured worse.

Once Gabriel realizes what he's doing, his eyes go wide. "Castiel…"

"What?" Castiel snaps, pushing harder against his wings. "This is what you want, isn't it?" With one final shove, Castiel's wings burst into their corporeal form. His wingspan is normally around fifteen feet when he's in a vessel, but he can't spread them all the way at the moment.

"Castiel…" Gabriel whispers again.

Castiel's breathing hard, fighting against the growing pain. Forcing his wings to enter this plane of existence only served to aggravate their injuries. "This is what Naomi did to me," he says in a voice that's supposed to be angry but ends up coming out closer to defeated.

Sam and Dean's eyes are wide as they stare at his gigantic, pitch black, and mangled wings.

* * *

The worst thing about Hell is the heat.

It's almost unbearable. Samandriel's fairly certain the flames are scorching his wings, which is indescribably painful. He wonders if Castiel went through the same thing when he rescued Dean. The agony is almost enough to make Samandriel want to turn back. But he can feel his Father's blessing and can still hear the confidence in God's voice when he assured Samandriel that he could indeed fulfill the task before him. Samandriel can't let his Father down, so he plunges deeper into Hell.

Strangely, the farther he goes, the cooler it gets. As he gets closer and closer to the Cage, the temperature only drops. Samandriel knows that's because he's getting closer and closer to Lucifer. He's almost too young to remember the former archangel's fall. He didn't fight in the war, though he knows of it. Every angel knows of it.

He can remember some things, though. He can remember Balthazar, who wasn't quite old enough to be a soldier but was also too young to be treated as a fledgling, standing guard over Samandriel and Castiel. He can remember when one of Lucifer's newly-created demons attacked them and would have killed Balthazar if not for Castiel's intervention. At the time, Castiel had barely begun training and didn't yet have his own angel blade. But he still had the courage to take the demon on and distract it long enough for Balthazar to be able to kill it. Samandriel remembers watching the exchange with wide, horrified eyes. Both of his brothers were in bad shape by the time they had finally managed to kill the demon. Luckily, Joshua saw at least part of the fight and brought them to the Garden, where the other fledglings were. Samandriel remembers going over to Inias, another brother that was a little older than him, and staying with him while Joshua found a healer to tend to Castiel's and Balthazar's wounds. It was the first time either of them had killed anything and Samandriel thinks it's probably a big part of why the two of them are the way they are. It's probably also why they are - or were, considering Balthazar is dead - such good friends.

A loud scream right near where Samandriel is flying jerks him out of his thoughts. There's a soul on the rack near him being tortured. He wants to help, but he knows he can't. It'll be difficult enough to rescue Adam. He doesn't need to pick up other souls on the way.

Fighting to ignore the agony surrounding him, Samandriel dives deeper into Hell, flying closer and closer to Lucifer's Cage.

* * *

Dean's shocked when Castiel's wings appear. They're  _gigantic_ , for one. Fully stretched out, he would guess that their wingspan is probably around fifteen feet. At the moment, though, they're drooping and broken. They look like a sad pantomime of the shadows that Dean saw all those years ago in that barn. It's a little upsetting to see them like this, after picturing them so many times.

"Cas, what the hell did she do?" Gabriel asks quietly, ghosting a hand over one of Castiel's wings. Castiel winces and his wings quiver. Gabriel quickly withdraws his hand.

"She punished me," Castiel replies softly. "Hurting my wings was… effective."

"In the name of our Father, Cas…" Gabriel's voice trails off. "Why the hell didn't you tell me about this? I could have helped you fix them!"

"They're healing," Castiel replies stiffly.

Dean lets out a humorless laugh. "Yeah, they look awesome, Cas," he says sarcastically. "What can we do to help?"

Castiel looks awkward, almost trapped. "I do not require help. They will heal on their own."

"Yeah, but Cas, you've barely got the energy to stay conscious," Gabriel argues. He's right. Castiel looks ready to pass out again any moment. "You're in no condition to heal your wings."

"What would you do, then?" Castiel asks, and Dean's shocked by the bitterness in his voice. "You can do nothing, Gabriel."

"I could heal them for you," Gabriel offers. Castiel's jaw instantly sets and his wings tense up. Dean's shocked at how much emotion the wings show. He normally has to read Castiel carefully to figure out what he's feeling, but his wings are far more expressive.

"Yeah, why haven't you just healed him already?" Sam asks.

Gabriel sighs. "It's against angel etiquette. It's just something you don't do. You can help with healing if you're a healer or if it's an extreme situation, but otherwise, you don't do it."

"For good reason," Castiel adds. Sam and Dean both turn to him. "When an angel heals another angel, it creates a bond of sorts. Healers are trained in how to sever it, but an ordinary angel doesn't know how to. It can be highly detrimental to both angels involved. It doesn't happen with humans, which is why I can heal you two without a problem."

"I could take you up to Heaven," Gabriel suggests. "If you really don't want me to heal you. I mean, I could probably figure out how to sever the connection."

"Before or after it drives us to insanity?" Castiel asks in a deadpan voice.

Gabriel sighs. "You're so overdramatic, Cas."

"Drives you to insanity?" Dean repeats, cutting in. "What do you mean?"

"The connection causes the angels' Graces to merge," Castiel explains tiredly. "It would likely begin to affect me far before it affected Gabriel, considering how small my Grace is compared to his."

"There is no way in hell you two are doing that," Dean states firmly.

Gabriel rolls his eyes. "I would probably be able to sever the connection before anything happened."

Dean shakes his head. "Not a chance we're going to take. How about Gabriel's other suggestion, Cas?"

"Yeah, Cas," Gabriel puts in. "Why don't we go up to Heaven and see one of the healers up there?"

"I do not wish to return to Heaven," Castiel says sternly.

Gabriel sighs. "Cas, no one up there blames you," he says softly.

Castiel shakes his head firmly. "I cannot return."

"Cas, if you can get help in Heaven, you should go," Dean tries. He looks over at Sam. His giant of a brother was able to help before and maybe he can do so again.

Taking the cue, Sam sits gently down on the couch next to Castiel. "Cas-"

" _No_ , Sam. I will not return to Heaven. I cannot."

"Why the hell not?" Gabriel demands.

Castiel looks up at him and Dean's shocked to find that it looks almost as if his eyes are welling up with tears. "Because I cannot see what I have done!" he cries. "I cannot see what has happened there since I destroyed it. Since I killed so many. I cannot return. I will not be able to face it." The last sentence is said in a very small voice.

Dean sits on Castiel's other side. "Cas, I know that you don't want to go back to Heaven. But couldn't you go directly to the healers? You wouldn't have to see anything else and you could still get fixed up."

"He's right," Gabriel says. The second the words are out of his mouth, he makes a disgusted face. "Saying that tastes like shit."

"Shut up, Gabriel," Sam and Dean say at the same time.

Castiel closes his eyes. "I… I will go to the healers. But  _only_  to the healers. Once they say I can leave, I will return here."

"That's all I'm asking," Gabriel replies. Castiel sighs and stands. "We'll be back soon," Gabriel says to Sam and Dean, then the two of them disappear with the sound of flapping wings.

Dean flops across the couch. "What do we do now?" he whines.

Sam rolls his eyes. "Missing your boyfriend already?"

Dean rolls his eyes. "Shut up, Sammy."

"No denial this time. Huh. Have you finally-"

Dean whacks Sam across the face with a pillow, effectively cutting his brother off.

Sam's eyes go wide. "Oh, you did not just do that."

Dean grins wickedly. "Oh, I just did."

"You're going down," Sam promises, picking up a pillow of his own and swinging it at Dean.

It seems an epic pillow fight is in the making.


	5. Chapter 5

When Samandriel finally reaches the Cage, he's exhausted. His wings are battered and scorched. He's surprised he didn't have to fight his way through; he knows that the group that went to rescue Dean Winchester battled all of Hell for years to get to the Righteous Man. His guess is that this is part of God's blessing.

Now Samandriel has to figure out how to release Adam Milligan from the Cage without also releasing Lucifer. While examining all around the prison, he decides that "cage" really isn't the right title for it. It's less of a cage and more of a dungeon. From the outside, it looks like a large black box. He doesn't know what it looks like from the inside. As he tries to figure out a way in, he wonders if the inhabitants of the Cage can see him, even if he can't see them.

After his third time around the Cage, Samandriel notices a tiny inscription written in Enochian. In English, it translates as, "He who has the Blessing of God shall enter here." Samandriel cautiously puts his palm against the writing and the wall of the Cage melts away to let him inside. The second he enters it, it reforms behind him. He hopes the entrance will also work as an exit.

"Well, well, who's this?" a silky voice asks. Samandriel stiffens as he sees Lucifer look over at him. He quickly scans his surroundings. The inside of the Cage is close to bare, with only a few chairs and a table covered in what looks disturbingly like torture instruments. Samandriel can only guess what they're used for, not that he wants to. Michael is slouched in the corner, looking over at Samandriel with disinterest. Adam is unconscious on the ground, his soul still surprisingly bright, despite the torture he's been through for years now. Well, years on Earth. In Hell, it's been centuries. It's shocking that Adam's soul isn't twisted beyond recognition.

"My name is Samandriel," he says, his voice shaking slightly.

Lucifer grins. "And why, Samandriel, are you here?"

Samandriel swallows hard. "God has sent me to raise Adam from the Cage."

Lucifer raises an eyebrow. "Really," he replies in a deadpan voice. "You. When choosing an angel to brave the depths of Hell and yours truly, God chose you. It almost seems like he doesn't really want Adam saved. Surely you can't do it."

"I have gotten this far, haven't I?" Samandriel replies with confidence he doesn't really feel.

Lucifer laughs coldly and shakes his head. "You're still disillusioned, aren't you?" he asks in a voice that almost sounds pitying. "You haven't seen the truth yet."

"I do not trust that anything you would tell me would be the truth," Samandriel replies.

Lucifer laughs again. "We've got a plucky one here, don't we?" he asks rhetorically. "But you still haven't figured it out. Do you know what this is? What your existence, my existence, Michael's existence" - Michael looks up as his name is mentioned for the first time - "mean?"

"We were created because God decreed it so," Samandriel snaps.

Lucifer nods slightly. "Yes, but  _why_  did God want us made?" Samandriel doesn't have an answer to that. "Because this is a chess game. This entire thing. All of our existences. Just a long game that God enjoys playing. We're nothing but pawns in the grand scheme of things."

"You're wrong," Samandriel replies.

Lucifer smiles. "But am I?" he asks. "We are nothing but game pieces. You know as well as I that angels don't have free will. We don't do what we want. We do what God wants us to do. Nothing more, nothing less. He manipulates us. All of us. Why do you think I fell? Because I didn't want to be manipulated anymore."

"I will not hear these lies," Samandriel hisses. He's not sure where this confidence is coming from. He's terrified to be in Lucifer's presence. And yet, somehow, he has the courage to stand up to the Devil himself.

"But they're not lies," Lucifer replies. "I know they're not. And if you think about it, you know that too."

"They are nothing but blasphemous falsehoods!" Samandriel shouts. "Our -  _my_  - Father warned me that Hell is a faithless place. He told me that there would be those that would try and undermine my beliefs. But I swore I would not listen. And I will not. You are wrong, Lucifer. And I will not listen to you any longer."

"Well, if you won't listen to me, maybe you'll listen to Michael," Lucifer says, shrugging. Samandriel turns to Michael with wide eyes. "You may not agree with me, but he does. Don't you, Michael?"

Samandriel looks over at the archangel desperately. Michael sighs and leaves his position in the corner, going over to Samandriel and Lucifer.

"I used to agree with you on many things, Lucifer," Michael starts. Neither Samandriel nor Lucifer can tell exactly where this is going. "I did not tell anyone, of course, and I was obedient, but I thought you were right about humans. I loved them because our Father commanded it, but I never liked them. And I thought that our actions were preordained. That we had no choice in what we did. The difference between us, Lucifer, was that I would do it anyway. I didn't care. But now…" Michael smiles softly. "I have seen the error in my ways. Our Father was right. Humans are better than us. They have free will, a priceless gift that I am slowly learning to understand myself. But I am still faithful. If God wishes for Adam to be released, then go ahead, Samandriel. Save him."

"Thank you," Samandriel says softly. He goes over to Adam and gently picks the human up. He hopes God has some sort of plan for him, because if not, the memories of Hell and the Cage will undoubtedly drive him mad.

"Adam is  _ours_. Death stole Sam Winchester, but I claim Adam Milligan," Lucifer spits. He is ignored.

"Leave with me," Samandriel urges Michael.

Michael smiles sadly. "I cannot."

Samandriel frowns. "Why not?"

Michael stands in front of Samandriel and Adam. "Because I have to do this," he answers simply.

Lucifer lunges forward, presumably to try and steal Adam back, and Michael blocks him with his body. Their fight is fearsome, and all Samandriel sees is the first minute or so. With Lucifer distracted, he makes his way over to the same spot he entered the Cage and places his hand on it. The wall disappears again and Samandriel shoots Michael one last regretful look.

"Go!" Michael yells, blocking another hit from Lucifer. Samandriel steps out of the Cage and is once again in the cold depths of Hell, standing outside a large box. Adam is still unresponsive in his arms.

Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Samandriel flaps his wings, beginning the difficult rise out of Hell.

* * *

From the moment they enter Heaven, Castiel is on edge. As promised, Gabriel takes him directly to the healers. When they appear, Suriel, one of the healers, takes one look at the two of them and gestures at the nearest bed. Castiel gratefully sinks onto it, but he's still tense as all hell.

"I was wondering how long it would be before I saw you again," Suriel says as she starts looking over Castiel's wings. "I was the one that treated him after he saved Dean Winchester from Hell," she tells Gabriel in an almost conspiratorial tone. "I could tell that he was already fascinated by the human. I'm assuming these injuries have something to do with him?"

"Surprisingly, they don't," Gabriel replies. He's very glad that Suriel is being so easygoing about this. Castiel seems almost shocked at the how nonchalant she is. "Then again, I guess everything Castiel does now has something to do with Dean, so if you trace it back far enough, you could probably blame this on him."

Suriel laughs. "Well, everything will be healed soon. But even after I fix you up, Castiel, I want you to promise me you'll take it easy for a few days. No flying long distances. No flying at all would be best. We don't want you to mess your wings up again."

"I… Yes, of course, Suriel," Castiel replies. He's still tense, but a little less so than he was when he first entered Heaven.

Suriel smiles. "Good." She puts her hands over Castiel's wings, careful not to touch them, and closes her eyes. Gabriel can see them healing and watches as Castiel slowly loses more of the tension in his shoulders. He's still not calm, per say, but he's much less stressed.

"I don't suppose there's any way I can talk you into staying here for a while, is there?" Suriel asks. Castiel tenses up again. "Didn't think so," she adds with a sigh. "Well, then I guess you'll have to be in charge of him," she tells Gabriel. "Don't let him fly around too much. If possible, see if you can get him to relax."

"Don't worry about Cas," Gabriel says with a grin. "We've got Dean on his case too. I doubt he'll will be allowed to lift a finger for himself."

Suriel laughs. "That's good. Let them help you for a while, Castiel. You really should be resting."

"I will, Suriel," Castiel replies. "I promise. And thank you. For not mentioning…" Castiel's voice trails off and he looks down.

Suriel only smiles. "What is there to speak of?" she asks. "I do not blame you for anything. You were put in a horrible situation and you did the best you could." Suriel presses a soft kiss to the top of Castiel's head. "Now go, Castiel. Return to the Winchesters, as I can tell you want to."

"Thank you, Suriel," Castiel says softly as he stands. Gabriel takes his arm and smiles at him. He'll let him have the moment, but now he has his own agenda about what's going to happen next.

"Ready to go, Cas?" he asks. Castiel nods and Gabriel flies off.

But he doesn't go back to the cabin. Not quite yet. Instead, he takes Castiel to a private, quiet corner of Heaven. It's where Gabriel goes to think, or when he needs a moment to himself. And now he definitely needs privacy for the talk he intends on having with Castiel.

"Gabriel, what are we doing here?" Castiel asks, looking around with wide eyes. He looks almost panicked.

"Calm down, little bro," Gabriel replies, waving a careless hand. "I just want to have a quick chat without the Winchesters listening in."

"What is it you wish to say?" Castiel asks, still looking incredibly tense. His wings are quivering slightly and flared out.

Gabriel rolls his eyes. "Calm  _down_ , Castiel. I just want to talk about Dean for a moment."

The answer doesn't calm Castiel at all. "What about him?" he asks warily.

Gabriel sighs deeply, conjuring a candy bar and taking a big bite out of it. "Want one?" he asks. Castiel shakes his head. "Suit yourself. And you can stop worrying, by the way. I'm not going to kill your boyfriend or anything."

"He is not-"

"Yeah, not your boyfriend. I've heard that song before, Cas. But that doesn't mean you don't want him to be."

"I… I don't know what you're talking about," Castiel replies. He's a terrible liar.

Gabriel sighs again. "Yes, you do. Come  _on_ , Cas. Stop lying to yourself. You know you want Dean. Hell, I don't blame you. He's not bad looking. And now that I've scored Sammy-"

"You and Sam initiated a relationship?" Castiel interrupts.

Gabriel grins. "Yup," he replies. "And let me tell you, that kid's a good kisser. And I didn't even really have to manipulate circumstances at all. He's much more aware of his feelings than Dean is."

"Do not insult-"

"Yeah, I get it." This time, it's Gabriel's turn to cut his brother off. "You love Dean and he's perfect, so I shouldn't insult him."

"I do not know why you have fixated yourself on the idea that I wish for a romantic relationship with Dean when I have repeatedly stated that that is not true," Castiel complains.

Gabriel rolls his eyes. "And I don't know why you keep trying to lie to me when we both know that you're full of shit," he replies. Castiel looks insulted. Gabriel sighs. "Look, Cas, it's no secret that you like Dean. I mean, really? A 'more profound bond'? Are you even  _trying_  to hide it?"

"I do not know what you are talking about," Castiel replies. As said before, he's a really bad liar.

"Cas, I'm just trying to help. Look, Dean obviously likes you too. Everyone can tell. Hell, even  _Samandriel_  mentioned it when he was talking to Dean, and they barely know each other. Sam thinks so too, and he probably knows Dean better than anyone else. And we can all see that you like Dean."

"Are all of you conspiring to get Dean and me to enter a relationship?" Castiel asks.

Gabriel shrugs. "Yeah, pretty much." Castiel rolls his eyes. "What? It's not like you don't  _want_  to get with Dean," Gabriel adds teasingly.

Castiel shifts. "I do not wish to hurt him," he finally says.

Gabriel smiles. "You won't, Cas," he replies in an equally soft voice.

Castiel looks upset. "But I have already hurt him so many times, Gabriel, simply as his friend. If I enter a more intimate relationship with him, I will inevitably hurt him even more."

"Cas-"

"Yes, Gabriel, I wish to be in a relationship with Dean!" Castiel finally shouts. "But I am putting him before myself and abstaining from it so as not to hurt him more than I already have!"

"Cas, calm down," Gabriel urges.

Castiel closes his eyes and sinks down onto a bench that appears behind him. "I just don't want to cause him any more pain, Gabriel," he whispers.

Gabriel goes over and sits next to Castiel. "You won't, Cas," he replies softly. "You and Dean love each other. It's obvious to anyone with eyes."

"But I ruin everything," Castiel mumbles. Gabriel almost can't understand him. "I am a poison, Gabriel. I destroy everything. I've done it before and it's only a matter of time before I do so again."

"That's not true, Cas," Gabriel says sternly. "You're amazing, Castiel, and you  _haven't_  destroyed everything. Yeah, you've screwed up, but who hasn't? And I can tell you right now that if you get in a relationship with Dean, it'll be hard. I mean, the two of you are so freaking ridiculous when it comes to guilt and emotions and shit. But you know what? You two will get through it. I know you will, Cas. It'll be hard, but you can do it."

Castiel looks down. "But what about Dean?" he asks softly. "Even if he does feel the same, as you claim-"

"Oh, he definitely does," Gabriel puts in.

"How can we get him to admit it?" Castiel continues as if Gabriel hadn't spoken. "Dean is not the type to speak about such things."

"Yeah, well, neither are you. And look where we are now," Gabriel replies. Castiel shrugs, but Gabriel thinks he looks a little more hopeful. "As one of those darling humans would say, one down, one to go!"

* * *

When Samandriel finally bursts free from Hell, it's a relief. His wings ache and he just wants to rest. He looks down at Adam again - does the fact that he rescued the human boy from Hell mean that he is Samandriel's charge? He hopes so - and is worried to see that the boy still hasn't moved at all. He hopes the horrors of the Cage haven't driven him into a comatose state. It would be such a waste.

Samandriel prepares to fly back to Whitefish when he feels a tug from Heaven, the same one he felt before he went to rescue Adam. It felt like a few years in Hell, but he knows it's probably only a matter of hours on Earth. He wonders if the others have even noticed he's gone.

(Incidentally, they  _have_. Dean noticed only a few minutes after Samandriel left. He was very worried, but Gabriel assured him that Samandriel had just been called up to Heaven. That calmed Dean, though not by much, and Gabriel then had to affirm that there was no one in Heaven that bore Samandriel any ill will because of what he had told Crowley under torture. Samandriel will be shocked when he's told of their worry.)

Samandriel follows the pull and again finds himself in the corner of Heaven where he spoke with God. His Father is there as well, smiling.

"You have done well, Samandriel," he says softly. "As I knew you would."

"Thank you, Father," Samandriel replies.

God gestures at the ground. "Lay Adam Milligan down. I shall do what I can to help him."

Samandriel lays Adam down, kneeling next to him. God does the same. "Father?" Samandriel asks softly as God lays a hand on Adam's forehead. "What is it that you will do for Adam?"

"All that I can do," God replies in an equally soft voice. "I can put up a wall in his mind, as Death did for Sam Winchester. Beyond that…"

"But a wall does not always last forever, as we saw with Sam Winchester," Samandriel replies, frowning. "Could you not erase the memories of the Cage?"

"The human psyche is a very delicate thing, Samandriel," God replies with a sigh. "If I were to do such a thing, I would almost definitely cause irrevocable damage to Adam's mind. So many memories can not be erased without harming Adam greatly."

"Is there nothing you can do?" Samandriel asks, almost begging. Adam's soul is so bright. It should not be darkened by these memories. Besides, Samandriel likes Adam already. He's not quite sure why - he really knows nothing about him except what he saw back before the Apocalypse, when Zachariah was trying to encourage him to work with the angels - but he does. Perhaps part of it is what he knows from Zachariah's work. The only thing Adam wished for was for his mother to live again. Even before he ever saw Adam's soul, Samandriel respected that loyalty and devotion. Now that he's seen how beautiful Adam truly is, he only finds his fondness for the boy growing.

God frowns. "There is one thing I could do, but it would require your aid."

Samandriel frowns as well. "What would you do?"

God sighs. "I cannot take the memories from Adam's mind, but he could… share them. If you were to have the same memories, it would create a bond between the two of you that would help him to deal with them, and aid you in doing the same."

"Do it," Samandriel replies.

God's frown deepens. "Samandriel, this would be irreversible. You would be stuck with the memories of centuries in the Cage, being tortured under Lucifer's hands. Neither you nor Adam would have the full effects of them, but still…"

"I wish to help him, Father," Samandriel says softly.

God sighs, then laughs unexpectedly. "Is it the fate of all of the Winchester boys to have an angel paramour of their own?" He asks. Samandriel blushes slightly. "Very well. If you are certain-"

"I am," Samandriel vows.

"Then I shall do as you ask." God places one hand on Adam's forehead and the other on Samandriel's. "This will be… unpleasant."

Unpleasant is far too mild a word for it. Samandriel cries out in pain as he feels the memories of hundreds of years in the Cage bombard his mind. He's faintly aware of Adam's body arching on the ground, but most of his thoughts are fixated on the barrage of memories that are flooding into his head. He fears that he'll drown in them, that he'll lose himself in these new thoughts.

"Samandriel," a voice says, cutting through the seemingly-endless stream of experiences that never happened to him but are in his mind nevertheless. "Samandriel, focus on my voice."

The voice is that of his Father and Samandriel concentrates on it. Slowly, he manages to pull himself out from the memories and into reality. "That… that was…" he gasps, unable to find a word that fully encompasses the experience he juts went through.

God looks worried. "I warned you that it would be disagreeable."

Samandriel nods, closing his eyes. "Yes, but I did not realize exactly how disagreeable they would be," he mutters. His own experiences, which span millions of years,  _should_  be able to regain control over the new memories. But the pain of being in the Cage is raw and demands to be felt.

God still looks worried. "Samandriel, I can give both you and Adam a wall," he offers. "It will keep either of you from remembering Hell, but if it starts to fall, it will give you both the same memories at the same time. Do you wish for me to do it?"

"That is not my choice to make," Samandriel replies. He's trying to shunt the memories of the Cage that have been given to him by Adam to a corner of his mind. They refuse to do as he wishes. "That is for Adam to decide."

"Very well," God replies, a mere suggestion of a smile on his face. "When Adam awakes, we can ask him. It won't be long now before he does."

God and Samandriel sit in silence for a moment, then Samandriel breaks it. "Father, why is Michael still in the Cage?" he asks softly. "I do not believe he deserves such a punishment. Why have you not freed him?"

"I suppose I should," God replies, sighing deeply. "After all, he did pass the test I gave him with flying colors, as a human would say."

"Test?" Samandriel asks, frowning in confusion.

God smiles. "I sent you to rescue Adam, yes, but also as a test for Michael to see if he was worthy of leaving the Cage. He defended you against his brother and showed a love for humans, and in doing so, he passed."

"I would not have been able to rescue Adam if not for Michael," Samandriel puts in.

God smiles. "And he shall be rewarded for helping. I shall visit him and bless him so he may leave, and the Cage will be only Lucifer's once more."

Samandriel's about to say more when they hear a moan coming from Adam. Both look at him with some trepidation as his eyes slowly open. "Where am I?" he croaks after a moment.

"You are in Heaven," Samandriel tells him softly. "I rescued you from the Cage and brought you here."

"And who exactly are you?" Adam asks, his voice hoarse.

Samandriel places a gentle hand against Adam's throat, wetting it so he can talk with more ease. "I am Samandriel, an angel of the Lord."

Adam nods slightly and sighs. "Great. Another angel. As if you aren't the reason I got in this mess in the first place." Guilt fills Samandriel, though he really had nothing to do with Adam becoming Michael's vessel and later going to the Cage.

"Adam Milligan, we are to put things right," God puts in.

Adam looks over and his eyes widen in shock. "A-are you…"

"I am your Lord, Adam Milligan. And I have a question for you."

"Y-yes, anything, Lord," Adam replies quickly.

God smiles softly. "I am a loving Father, Adam. You do not need to worry. This is my question for you." As he already knows what the options are, Samandriel drifts from the conversation and instead watches Adam. He's is listening to what God says with a hint of a frown on his face. Samandriel wonders what's wrong.

"Okay, so what happens if I choose to put up the wall?" Adam asks. "All those memories are just… gone?"

"Not gone," God corrects gently. "Blocked. But for it to work, you would have to allow them to remain that way."

"No, thank you," Adam replies simply. Samandriel's shocked. "Thanks for the offer, but I want to keep my memories the way they are. They're a part of me, and I don't want them blocked. Anyway, you said that since Samandriel is sharing them with me, they won't affect me as much as they would otherwise. I can handle it. I want to keep them."

"You have made a brave decision, Adam Milligan," God says softly. "I do not think you will regret it."

With that, God gently taps both Adam and Samandriel on the forehead. The next thing they know, the two of them are standing in the living room in the cabin in Whitefish, with two shocked humans and two equally shocked angels staring at them.

As the human saying goes, all hell breaks loose.


	6. Chapter 6

"What the  _hell_?" Dean demands loudly.

Samandriel and Adam look at each other. "Um…" Adam blushes slightly. "Hey, Dean. Sam. Uh, Castiel, right? And you are…" he asks, looking at Gabriel.

"Gabriel the archangel, at your service. And you're the third Winchester boy, aren't you?"

"Yeah. Adam. Um, nice to meet you."

"But you were in the Cage," Castiel says with a slight frown. "I… I could not pull you out. And I probably would not have succeeded, in any case." The last sentence is said in a mutter, but Dean still hears it. He wants to comfort Castiel, but he's not quite sure how. Finally, he decides on just giving him a light pat on the shoulder. It's awkward, but hopefully it helps.

"I rescued him," Samandriel replies softly. The hint of a smile is on his face.

Sam stares at the young angel in shock. "Um, no offense, but  _you_  rescued him? From Lucifer's Cage?"

"I had the blessing of God," Samandriel replies, looking both proud and awkward at he same time. Dean can sense Castiel stiffening slightly next to him. "With his help, I was able to travel through Hell unscathed and enter the Cage."

"Wow," Gabriel says softly. It's really the only thing  _to_  say. What other sentiment works in a situation like this?

"What about the memories?" Sam asks softly.

Adam shrugs slightly. "I still have them. But God did something with Samandriel so we share the memories of the Cage and it's not too hard for either of us to deal with them."

Sam smiles softly and just a bit sadly. "Well, if either of you need any help, I've still got all the memories from the Cage in my head. Not as many as you have, but I've figured out how to deal with them. I might be able to help you out."

If possible, Castiel looks even tenser and more guilty than before. Dean wonders how long it'll be before he flies off. Castiel doesn't do well with guilt. He takes on too much of it and blames himself for everything, whether it's his fault or not and regardless of whether he's been forgiven. He's as bad as a Winchester in that respect.

"So little bro, how are you doing?" Gabriel asks Samandriel.

Samandriel shrugs. "I am alright. Going into Hell was difficult, but I had the blessing of God, so I was able to do it without much difficulty."

"And how're you feeling, Adam?" Dean asks. If Gabriel is going to be a protective big brother, then so will he.

"Um, fine," Adam replies, looking a little confused. "I mean, fine's relative, but I'm as fine as I think I could be after all that time in the Cage. By the way, how long as it been here?"

"About three years," Dean replies. "Sorry we didn't get you out earlier, buddy. We just didn't know how."

"It's fine," Adam replies, shrugging weakly. "I mean, I managed. And hey, at least I'm not crazy or something." The word "crazy" seems to be the last straw for Castiel. With the now-familiar noise of wings fluttering, he disappears. Adam frowns. "Was it something I said?"

"No, Cas is just being an overdramatic idiot," Dean replies, rolling his eyes.

"Go talk to him, Dean," Gabriel urges. "He's just in the other room. He can't fly too far yet. His wings still aren't at one hundred percent."

Dean nods. "Okay. I'll be back soon."

"Dean?" Samandriel asks softly as Dean turns to leave. Dean turns back around. "God gave me this to give to Castiel. It might help." Samandriel holds out a scroll.

Dean takes it with a wry smile. "Thanks, Samandriel." Dean hopes the message, whatever it is, does help. He has no idea what to do about this. Dean's not good with emotions in the first place, which makes it even harder to deal with another person's feelings.

Dean gently pushes open the door to the bedroom Castiel was in when he was still unconscious. Castiel is sitting on the bed, facing away from the door. Dean wonders if he's even aware that he's there.

"Go away, Dean," Castiel says softly. Dean guesses that answers that question.

"What's wrong, Cas?" Dean asks. Castiel doesn't turn around, so Dean grabs the chair next to the bed and brings it over so he can sit across from Castiel.

Castiel refuses to meet his eyes. "Please go, Dean," he whispers.

Dean laughs humorlessly. "As if," he replies. "You know me, Cas. I'm too pushy for my own good."

" _Please_ , Dean," Castiel begs. "I wish to be alone at the moment."

"Why?" Dean asks.

Castiel sighs. "Dean, I do not wish to talk. And I'm not an idiot. You can't fool me that easily."

"I think I know why you're upset," Dean replies. Castiel doesn't answer. "I think it's because you're an idiot that somehow manages to make himself think that everything that ever goes wrong is his fault." Dean's half-expecting that to get a rise out of Castiel. It doesn't work. He keeps talking. "It's not your fault that Adam was in Hell. It's not like you put him there or something. And you tried your hardest to rescue him and Sam. No one blames you for not being able to do it fully."

"But there are things that are undeniably my fault," Castiel contradicts. "Sam's wall would still be up if not for me."

"Okay, so yeah, you screwed up there," Dean admits. "But you tried to fix it after. And you did fix it. Kind of." Dean's fairly certain that he's the worst person ever at comforting someone else. He keeps trying anyway. "It's not your fault, Cas. We've all forgiven you. Why can't you forgive yourself?"

"Has everyone forgiven me?" Castiel asks bitterly. "Why is it that my Father deigns to speak with Samandriel and not me, even after I prayed and  _prayed_  for just a word of comfort?"

"Are you jealous?" Dean asks, frowning.

"No!" Castiel instantly denies. "Yes?" he adds a moment later. "Maybe? I don't  _know_ , Dean. I still don't understand all of these emotions that I'm feeling."

"Hey. Calm down, Cas," Dean says in what he hopes is a soothing voice. "It's okay if you're a little jealous. Hell, I was jealous of Adam when we first met him. He had gotten a normal life while Sam and I had grown up as hunters."

"Yes, but you're human," Castiel replies. "I'm an angel. Do you know how far I must have fallen to be feeling envy? One of the seven deadly sins? No wonder my Father will not speak to me. I'm barely better than a human."

"Nothing's wrong with being human," Dean replies, a little hurt.

Castiel sighs, looking upset. "But I am an  _angel_ , Dean. I'm not supposed to feel emotions at all, let alone any of the worst!"

"What's so bad about it if you are feeling emotions? I feel them all the time. Sam feels them. Gabriel feels them too. And as for it being one of the seven deadly sins or whatever, they're really not all that bad. I mean, yeah, the personifications of them are assholes, but the sins themselves aren't that big a deal. I feel all of them. And I'm not that bad, am I?"

"Of course not, Dean," Castiel replies with a sigh. "But you're not an angel. I've fallen before, became human. I mean no offense to your species, but I do not wish for that to happen again."

"I'm sure it won't, Cas," Dean replies. Castiel merely shrugs in response and looks down. Dean groans. "You're impossible, you know that?" he asks exasperatedly. Castiel doesn't reply. "Oh, and this is for you," Dean adds, holding out the scroll. "It's from God, via Angel Delivery." Castiel makes no move to take the scroll. Dean rolls his eyes and puts it on the bed next to the angel.

Wishing he could do more to help, Dean leaves the room and shuts the door gently behind him.

* * *

Curiosity is what drives Castiel to break the seal on the scroll. Half of him is terrified of what it will say and the other half is hopeful that it won't be too bad. He tries to ignore it, but after an embarrassingly short amount of time, Castiel can't bear the curiosity anymore and he gently picks up the scroll and breaks the seal. Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Castiel opens the scroll to read it.

The writing is all in Enochian, which really doesn't surprise Castiel at all. It's the language of the angels; it makes sense that the letter from his Father would be written in it. After a moment of deliberation, Castiel begins to read.

_Castiel. Oh my dear Castiel. I am so very, very proud of you._

_My poor, hardworking, tireless child. You have always been so faithful, even when I have only given you reasons not to be. I apologize for never coming when you called, but I had to give you free will. You had to experience it, and it would not have worked if I had come to you every time you asked for me. And you were wonderful every time. You make choices with your heart, and though you didn't always do the right thing, you always did what you did for the right reasons. If all the other angels felt but a fraction of the love that you feel, Heaven would be a much better place._

_While you never saw me in Heaven, that is not to say that you have never seen me before. I stood by your side when you first discovered free will, and I was there when you valiantly tried to fight off Raphael, just so Dean Winchester could have a chance to save his brother from himself. Have you figured it out yet, my dear Castiel? I wore the body of a man and watched you on Earth. You knew me as Chuck, the prophet. Oh, I was so pleased to see how you grew to care for the Winchesters. And I was so proud when you were willing to lay down your own life for the boys. As you have always suspected, it was I that brought you back after you were killed each time. And each time that I did so, we spoke in Heaven, though you do not remember it. I locked the memories away, but now I release them. Do you remember now, Castiel? Do you remember how proud I was? How I embraced you and cradled you as I reformed your Grace and your human form? You are my son, Castiel, and I love you. Know that always._

A tear slides down Castiel's face and, for the first time ever, he's crying. He's never cried before. Angels can't cry. But that can't be quite true, because another tear is joining the first. The memories of being with his Father are tender and filled with more love than Castiel thinks he's ever felt before. In that moment, he knows that his Father cares for him, that his Father cares for all of humanity. Just because he could not act does not mean he did not wish to.

Castiel carefully puts the scroll on the bed next to him, not wanting to ruin it, and, still not quite understanding this strange sensation, he releases all holds on his emotions and allows himself to cry.

* * *

"Dean, can I talk to you for a moment?" Sam asks.

Dean looks over at his brother in confusion. "Sure, Sammy. What's wrong?"

"In private," Sam adds.

Frowning and now slightly worried, Dean gets up and follows his brother into the empty bedroom. Sam closes the door behind them.

"What's going on, Sam? You're freaking me out a little." In truth, Dean's edging towards full-fledged panic mode. Something must be seriously wrong for Sam to be acting like this.

"You don't need to panic, Dean. I just want to talk about Cas," Sam replies.

Dean's panic level instantly drops a few notches, but he's still worried. "What about him?"

"Well… about you and Cas."

In that moment, Dean knows where the conversation is going and rolls his eyes. "Really, Sammy? No." He tries to leave, but Sam blocks the doorway. Dean's eyes narrow. "Let me out, Sam," he commands in a threatening voice.

Sam shakes his head. "We need to talk about this, Dean. I'm not letting you run away from you feelings again."

"What  _feelings_?" Dean demands angrily. "Cas and I are  _friends_. Nothing more. And I don't want to be anything more."

"Who says I was going to talk about that?" Sam asks.

Dean rolls his eyes again. "It's freaking obvious, Sam. You think I'm in love with Cas or something stupid like that. I'll tell you right now that I'm  _not_. There. Conversation done."

"Do you ever get tired of lying to yourself all the time?" Sam asks. Dean glares at him. "I mean, really," Sam continues, ignoring the look that his brother's giving him. "Would it be that hard to just admit that you like Cas as more than a friend?"

"I don't like him as more than a friend," Dean states.

"Bullshit," Sam replies without missing a beat.

Dean's literally  _this_  close to throwing his hands up in the air with exasperation. "What the hell do you want, Sam? My solemn word?"

"The  _truth_ , Dean," Sam shoots back. "Because we both know that you like Cas, whether you want to admit it or not."

"Sam, you're ridiculous." In truth, he's completely right and Dean knows it, but Dean is so practiced in masking his emotions that it's barely even difficult anymore.

"Am I really?" Sam asks. "You know you like Cas, Dean. It's obvious to anyone who looks at the two of you. So why the hell can't you just admit it?"

"Look, Sam, even if I did like him,  _hypothetically_ , of course, it wouldn't matter," Dean replies. "He doesn't like me back. And he's an angel anyway. There's probably some sort of law against it in Heaven."

"Yeah, because Cas always does exactly what Heaven wants him to do," Sam replies sarcastically.

Dean sighs. "He doesn't see me like that, Sam. Not that I see him like that or anything. But even if I did, he wouldn't want to be with a human. Why would he?"

"I don't think it matters to him," Sam replies.

Dean laughs bitterly. "Yeah, pretty sure it matters," he replies. His mind goes back to Castiel saying that he never wanted to be human again. "And I'm sure there's something against it, so the other angels would probably get all pissed at him. I've gotten him in enough trouble with his family already."

"I don't think they'd care," Sam replies.

Dean raises a doubtful eyebrow. "And what makes you the expert in angel laws?"

"Just trust me on this one." Sam looks a little shifty.

Dean frowns. "Sam, what are you not telling me?"

Sam shifts his weight. "Um, Gabriel?" he calls. Dean's brow furrows in confusion as Gabriel appears.

"What is it, Sammy?" Gabriel asks.

Sam jerks his head towards Dean. "I think we should tell him."

"Tell me  _what_?" Dean demands. He's ignored.

"Fine, if you want," Gabriel replies. "But you're the one saying it. I'd rather  _not_  have your brother murder me, thank you very much."

"What the hell are you two going on about?" Dean demands.

Sam looks over at Gabriel, then takes a deep breath. "Dean, I can assure you that the angels don't care about whether you're human or not because, um… I'm in a relationship with Gabriel."

Dean's eyes instantly go as wide as saucers. "Um, could you say that again, Sammy?" he asks. "Because I could have sworn you just said that you were dating Mr. Douchebag over here. But that couldn't be right, could it?"

"He's not that bad, Dean," Sam protests weakly.

Dean gapes at his brother. "You're freaking kidding me, Sammy. After all the shit that Gabriel's done, you're  _dating_  the bastard?"

"I love your little brother, Dean," Gabriel says firmly. "And I really don't care what you think about me. Because I love him, and he loves me, and-"

"Does he really?" Dean demands. "Or did you just make Sam think he loves you for your own screwed up pleasure?"

" _Dean!_ " Sam scolds, looking horrified. Dean ignores him, glaring at Gabriel, who's glaring back.

"Never say that again, Dean Winchester," Gabriel snarls. "I would never do such a thing to your brother. I  _love_  him, do you understand? I would  _never_  do that."

"Why the hell should I take your word for it?" Dean demands. "You're the freaking Trickster. You lied to us for years about who you really were. Why should I trust that you're suddenly telling us the truth now?"

"I would not lie about this!" Gabriel explodes. "The thing that I care about above all else is family, Dean Winchester, and your brother is now part of my family. Because I  _love_  him, you asshole. And I would  _never_  lie about that."

Dean suddenly feels very small standing next to Gabriel, who's quite a bit shorter than him but seems to have all of Heaven on his side. It seems as if he's directing all of Heaven's wrath at Dean. It's uncomfortable and freaking scary, to say the least.

"Dean," Sam says softly. "Look, no matter what you say, I still love Gabriel and I'm still going to stay with him. If you want to make me leave or something, I will, but I hope you won't. But the reason I wanted to tell you was to show that it doesn't matter to the angels if we're human or not. Gabriel loves me anyway, and I'm certain that Castiel love you too."

"Oh, is that what we're talking about?" Gabriel asks, his anger suddenly leaving him. "Dean, Cas is completely in love with you. Frankly, I think you're an idiot to not notice."

"Shut up, Gabriel," Dean snaps automatically. He looks over at Sam, who looks hopeful.

"Look, Sammy, you're my little brother," Dean starts awkwardly. "And I love you, no matter what. I just…are you sure that this is what you want?"

"Yes," Sam replies, not even taking a second to think about it.

Dean sighs deeply. "Can I have a minute to, I don't know, wrap my head around it or whatever?"

Sam nods. "Sure." He hugs Dean tightly. "Thanks for understanding. Even if you were a dick at first. And remember what I said about Cas!"

"Go have fun with your boyfriend, you crazy kid," Dean replies. "And Gabriel? You hurt him, I'll rip your heart out."

"Point taken, Dean-o," Gabriel replies, a hint of a smirk on his face. "Though I will say I'd like to see you try."

"We've faced down our fair share of archangels in the past, Gabriel," Dean replies in a nonchalant voice. "I'm pretty sure I could take you down."

Gabriel laughs. "Sam's right about Cas, by the way."

Dean rolls his eyes. "Go away, you two," he replies. Both Sam and Gabriel leave the room. The second they're gone, Dean closes his eyes and sinks onto the bed.

Even though he knows it's probably not true, a far-too-large part of him hopes that the two of them are right about Castiel.


	7. Chapter 7

After spending who-knows-how-long-because-he-lost-track-of-time-and-frankly-no-one-cares-how-long-it-was-anyway thinking, Dean leaves the bedroom and goes out to the hallway. He's planning on going back to the living room, where he can hear conversation, but he realizes as he passes the door to the other bedroom that Castiel's still in there, so Dean changes his path and enters that room instead.

"Hey, Cas," he says softly. Castiel doesn't turn around. "You okay?"

"Yes," Castiel replies. His voice is slightly choked and it sounds as if he's been crying.

Dean winces sympathetically as he goes over to sit next to him. "Was the letter that bad?" he asks, noticing the open scroll on the bed.

Castiel looks up at Dean earnestly. His face is tearstained, but Dean's no longer sure it's in a bad way. "No, it was the opposite. It was  _wonderful_ , Dean. My Father cares for me. He explained everything. And I have memories of him now, from the times I died and he brought me back. I thought I had never seen my Father, but I have and I know that he loves me."

"That's great, Cas," Dean says softly, smiling. He can't help but think of John and wonder if his own father cares for him as much as God cares for Castiel. Dean assumes that Castiel's too wrapped up in his own joy to notice that Dean isn't as happy as he is, but Castiel does see it.

"What's wrong?" he asks, frowning slightly. "I will not return to Heaven, if that's what you're worried about. I will stay with you and Sam. And Adam, Samandriel, and Gabriel, for as long as they remain here."

"It's not that," Dean replies. "It's just… I'm thinking about my dad now, you know? And I just wonder if he cares that much for me."

"Of course he does," Castiel replies, sounding surprised that Dean would even question it. "He sold his soul to save your life, did he not?"

"Yeah, but that was before I broke the first seal when I tortured in Hell. And with all the shit I've done… My job was to protect Sammy, and I definitely failed at that, and-"

"You are more than just what your father wanted you to be," Castiel interrupts sternly. "My Father made it very clear that he was proud of my free will. I would expect that John Winchester would feel the same way. He is your father and he loves you, no matter what. Of that, I am certain."

Dean sighs. "Yeah, I guess."

Castiel's mouth twists in a wry smile. "I will not convince you, will I?"

Dean chuckles. "Probably not," he replies. There's an awkward pause for a moment. Dean breaks it first. "Hey, did you know that Sam's dating Gabriel?"

"He is?" Castiel asks in a miserable attempt to sound surprised.

Dean gives him an angry look. "Did you freaking know and not tell me?"

Castiel refuses to make eye contact. "It was not my place," he mutters in reply.

Dean groans. "Are you kidding me? Did everyone except me know?"

"Gabriel told me," Castiel replies. "I don't think anyone else knew."

"I can't believe you didn't tell me," Dean grumbles. "Sam is my brother!"

"And Gabriel is mine. I will respect his privacy," Castiel shoots back.

Dean groans. He's pissed and he really doesn't have a reason to be, but he just feels left out and unnecessary, almost, because he didn't know. "Secrets can get you killed, Cas," he snaps, wanting to hurt him to get his anger out. "Or worse. I thought you knew that."

The blood drains out of Castiel's face and Dean knows that his cruel blow has hit home. He instantly feels terrible, but he can't take it back.

"You're right," Castiel replies in a carefully emotionless voice. "I apologize for not alerting you to the fact that your brother was in a relationship. That could have caused someone to die, of course."

Dean winces slightly at the bitterly caustic tone. "Cas, I-"

"You're correct," Castiel interrupts. "You-"

"No, I'm freaking not!" Dean cuts in. "I'm not right. I'm being a douchebag and I'm sorry, okay!" Castiel looks shocked at the fact that Dean's actually apologizing (which is shocking, to tell the truth). "I'm just stressed out, so I'm on edge."

"Stressed out about what?" Castiel asks.

 _The fact that I'm in love with you and I want to think that you're in love with me but I know it's probably not true,_  Dean wants to say. But he can't. "Crowley," he replies instead. "He's going to come after us."

"We'll be fine," Castiel assures him. "One demon, albeit the King of Hell, against two of the best hunters alive-"

"Aw, Cas, you're making me blush," Dean says sarcastically.

Castiel acts as if he hasn't spoken. "-And three angels, especially when one of them is a powerful archangel? Crowley will not stand a chance."

"Yeah, but he's got a major grudge against you and he's kidnapped an angel before, so what if he manages to do it again, but with you instead of Samandriel?" Dean can't acknowledge the full extent of the pain that the mere thought gives him, but he can act a little worried. Friendship-level worried. But no more than that.

"He will not manage it," Castiel promises softly.

Dean wants to argue, but that's getting past friendship level and into relationship-like worrying, so he keeps his mouth shut. "If you say so," he says with a sigh.

Castiel smiles gently. "All will be well, Dean. Crowley will not reach us. We'll be fine. You don't need to worry, my friend."

And those words remind Dean of when Castiel returned and showed him what really happened in Purgatory. And the thought of that hits Dean like a punch in the gut.

"Look, Cas, there's something I need to ask you, and I want you to answer me honestly," Dean says abruptly.

Castiel looks confused. "Of course I will."

Dean sighs. "Why did you stay behind in Purgatory?"

Castiel's face falls. He obviously doesn't want to answer the question. "I did not think I deserved to be saved," he replies after a lengthy pause. "I… I felt that being in such a place was due punishment for my crimes."

"Yeah, but remember when you pulled me out of Hell?" Dean asks. "First time we met. I asked why you rescued me and you gave me this look and said that I didn't think I deserved to be saved. But you did it anyway. Why couldn't you let me save you?"

"You broke in Hell," Castiel replies, obviously struggling to contain his emotions. "I killed hundreds. Thousands. There's a large difference."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean you don't deserve to be saved too," Dean replies. "And I tortured myself over it, man. I couldn't sleep because I thought I had failed you."

"Dean…"

"Look, here's hoping it never happens, but if we're ever in a situation like that again, you're getting over yourself and leaving with me, whether you think you deserve to be saved or not. Promise me that, Cas?" Dean asks, his voice harsher than he means for it to be.

Castiel sighs. "I promise," he replies. Dean sighs as well. For a moment, it's peaceful.

Then Dean and Castiel hear a commotion in the living room and, without even having to look at each other to check, they both know to leave the bedroom and see what's going on together.

* * *

In Gabriel's opinion, everyone's overreacting severely. You'd think that the Winchesters would be used to people popping up uninvited, but apparently it's a major crisis when an angel pops up unannounced.

Then Gabriel looks over, realizes what angel it is, and starts to get why the others are freaking out.

"Michael?" he whispers.

His brother looks over at him, as regal and imposing as ever. "Hello, Gabriel."

"Why are you here?" Gabriel asks, positioning himself in front of all the others. Yeah, he probably doesn't have a chance against the most powerful archangel, but that doesn't change the fact that he'll die to protect Sam. And he's got the best odds of surviving a fight out of all of them.

"I am not here to harm any of you," Michael replies. Gabriel doesn't leave his defensive position. Behind him, Adam presses against Samandriel and Samandriel holds him protectively. Out of the corner of his eye, Gabriel can see Castiel and Dean enter. They both stop short, Castiel in front of Dean slightly.

Michael sighs. "I will not harm any of you," he repeats.

Gabriel raises an eyebrow. "Yeah, but considering the grudge you've probably got against everyone in this room, forgive me for not believing you, Mikey."

"Mikey?" Dean replies in shock. "This is  _Michael_?" He moves out from behind Castiel. Castiel looks slightly panicked, but Gabriel's sure that he's ready to jump in front of Dean at a moment's notice. "Whose meatsuit are you wearing this time? Another long-lost brother?"

"A distant cousin," Michael replies, looking down at the body he's in. "He will not be harmed by this possession."

"And why should I listen to you?" Dean demands. "Last I checked, you were in Lucifer's Cage because you wouldn't let us try and stop the Apocalypse. So how are you here in the first place?"

"I was released by my Father," Michael counters.

Gabriel frowns. "Why would Dad let you out now, when he hasn't done anything before?"

Michael gestures at Samandriel. "Did Samandriel not tell you about what happened in the Cage? I aided him in releasing Adam, thus apparently proving myself worthy of being released as well. I have…" Here, Michael's calm demeanor cracks slightly. "I have realized my actions were wrong and I regret doing them. I will not harm any of you for trying to stop me."

"You better not," Dean mutters darkly.

Michael rolls his eyes. "You don't need to worry about me taking revenge on your brother or Castiel."

Gabriel frowns. "What does Cas have to do with this?"

Dean glares at Michael. "Cas molotov-coctail'd this son of a bitch with holy fire."

Gabriel's eyes go wide. "Wow. You've got balls, little bro."

"It was highly unpleasant," Michael adds.

Castiel keeps his head up and looks at Michael. "I will not apologize for what I did," he replies. "I had no other choice. I could not let you fight Lucifer."

"And I do not blame you for it," Michael replies. "So I don't expect an apology. The reason I came, actually, was to speak with you, Gabriel."

"About what?" Gabriel asks, not moving from his defensive position.

Michael's eyes dart around the room. "Somewhere a little more private would be preferable."

Gabriel rolls his eyes. "Fine." He turns and gives Sam a quick kiss. "Be back soon. Hopefully."

"I'll be waiting," Sam replies.

Gabriel turns back to Michael, who looks slightly shocked by the exchange. "Are we going?" he asks.

Michael nods. "Of course." He flies off and Gabriel follows him. They end up in Antarctica.

"Really, Michael?" Gabriel asks with a sigh.

Michael looks a little confused. "It's private," he protests. Gabriel rolls his eyes. "Perhaps a bit uncomfortable, but-"

"Follow me," Gabriel interrupts. Michael does and they end up on an empty beach in Hawaii. "This is more like it!" Gabriel replies, snapping and conjuring up two beach chairs. He lounges in one and Michael gingerly sits in the other. Gabriel snaps again and creates an ice cream soda for himself. "Want one?" he asks Michael, holding it out.

"No, thank you," Michael replies.

Gabriel shrugs and takes a long sip out of the straw. "So what did you want to talk about?"

"From what our Father told me, you are now in charge of Heaven," Michael starts.

"And you want to be the boss again. Take the position. You're now the head of Heaven again. Congrats," Gabriel replies.

Michael looks shocked. "Gabriel, I-" he splutters.

Gabriel frowns. "What? Isn't that what you wanted?"

"I… I do not think I am best qualified to lead Heaven," Michael replies carefully.

Gabriel looks at his brother in puzzlement. "You were the head of Heaven for millennia. You're definitely the best qualified."

"But…" Michael's self-composed mask is breaking down. "I was so wrong in my assessment of humans. And I  _thought_  was right. And now I'm not sure if I can trust my other opinions, because even if I think they're right, that doesn't mean they are."

"Yeah, but anyone can make a mistake," Gabriel replies. "And anyway, the fact that you know you screwed up is a good thing. Now you'll be more careful in the future." Seeing that Michael isn't convinced, Gabriel sighs. "Come on.  _Please_  be the leader of Heaven again. I really don't want to do it."

A teasing smile goes across Michael's face. "You don't want to leave you boyfriend?"

Gabriel forces himself not to blush. "Would you want to leave a hot piece of ass like Sam?" he counters with a grin. Michael laughs and Gabriel feels warm and happy. He and his brother haven't been like this for ages, probably not since before Lucifer fell. Nothing was the same after that. Except now, Gabriel and Michael are acting as they did millennia ago. It's awesome.

"So, are you going to lead Heaven?" Gabriel asks.

Michael looks almost shy. "Do you think I'll be good at it?"

"I think you'll be great," Gabriel replies sincerely.

Michael beams. "Then I shall retake my place."

"Great!" Gabriel stands and claps his hands. "Shall we?"

"Um, first, I have a question," Michael replies. "From what our Father told me, I assume that lots of things have changed in Heaven in the past few years. Could you tell me what's happened?"

"Oh, boy," Gabriel sighs, sitting back down. He conjures a milkshake to replace the ice cream soda he finished. "This is going to take a while."

* * *

Adam smiles slightly as he leans against the wall in the living room, watching Samandriel and Castiel. The two of them are talking animatedly. Adam's not exactly sure what they're talking about, but he can tell that it's something both of them are passionate about. But he barely sees Castiel, to tell the truth; his eyes are focused on Samandriel.

Yes, Adam has a little crush on the angel that rescued him.

Adam's always known he was gay, but he had never thought he would be attracted to the angel that pulled him out of Hell. But now that he _has_  been rescued from Hell by an angel, he's definitely attracted to Samandriel. Adam Milligan is in love with an angel. Weird.

Then again, maybe that's not all that weird after all. Sam and Gabriel are together, and Adam's pretty sure that Dean and Castiel are more than just friends as well. So maybe it's a common thing. Maybe it's just normal for Winchesters. Whatever it is, that doesn't matter. It won't change anything at this point, because Adam is hopelessly head-over-heels.

"Hey," a soft voice says at Adam's side. Adam looks up in surprise to see Sam beside him. "How're you doing?"

"Fine," Adam replies. He knows that Sam's asking about the memories of the Cage, which are painful but bearable.

Sam nods. "Can we talk?" he asks, gesturing at the kitchen.

Adam's a little confused. "Sure," he replies. The two enter the kitchen, Adam sending one more longing look at Samandriel over his shoulder as they go in.

"You hungry?" Sam asks, going over to the refrigerator. Adam shrugs just as his stomach grumbles loudly. Sam laughs. "I'll take that as a yes. Is a ham and cheese sandwich okay? We don't have much else."

"That's fine," Adam replies. Sam pulls the things he needs out of the refrigerator along with two bottles of beer. He holds one out to Adam, who accepts it gratefully. He's really thirsty and really hungry, but he doesn't want to impolite.

"It's okay to be hungry, you know," Sam says, as if he can read Adam's mind. "I was starving when I got out of the Cage. And Dean wouldn't stop eating when Cas pulled him out of Hell."

"Dean was in Hell?" Adam asks, sounding confused.

Sam nods. "Yeah. A couple of years ago. Four months up here, forty years down there. Long story short, I died and he sold his soul to bring me back." The most surprising thing about that is the lack of surprise that Adam feels. "I'll tell you the whole story sometime. But for now, I want to talk about you."

"What about me?" Adam asks.

Sam bites his lip. "I want to apologize," he replies. "For everything you've been through. For not getting you away fast enough when Michael got you. For not rescuing you from the Cage. For pulling you in there in the first place."

"You did what you had to do," Adam replies, shrugging. "I don't blame you for it."

Sam sighs. "And you're dealing with the memories okay? Is the thing with Samandriel helping?"

"Yeah," Adam replies, nodding. "It's helping a lot. I mean, I still have the memories and I've had a couple of flashbacks, but nothing too bad. I can mostly block it out."

"Well, that's good," Sam replies. "I had a wall at first, but when that broke, I saw Lucifer everywhere. I'm glad you don't have to go through that."

"You saw  _Lucifer_?" Adam replies, confused. "But he was in the Cage the whole time!"

"Just hallucinations," Sam explains. "Not great, but at least it wasn't  _really_  Lucifer. But Cas fixed me up, so I'm not seeing the Devil around anymore."

"Speaking of whom, what's up with Castiel?" Adam asks, frowning slightly. "I mean, when I came back, he left and Dean said something about him being overdramatic. What was going on?"

Sam sighs. "Cas doesn't deal with guilt all to well," he explains. "He's kinda like Dean in that respect. He can't forgive himself for anything and he feels guilty about things he shouldn't. He tried to pull me out of the Cage, but he only got my body and not my soul, and then he was the one to break my wall. I think he blames himself for leaving you in the Cage. And watching you deal with the memories reminds him of what he did to me. Like I said, he doesn't deal with guilt well."

"Oh," Adam replies. "But didn't you say he fixed what he did to you with your wall?"

"The hallucinations of Lucifer were going to kill me," Sam replies, sounding far too nonchalant about it. "Castiel transferred them to his own mind. Drove him crazy for a while. He's basically fine now, though."

"Wow. That must have been hard on Dean," Adam muses.

Sam frowns. "What do you mean?"

"Well, you were okay, but only because his boyfriend was crazy. That's got to be hard." To Adam's surprise, Sam starts laughing. "What?"

"Dean and Cas aren't dating," Sam replies.

Adam blushes. "Oh, I just thought that, I mean, looking at them, that, I don't know…"

"They both care for each other, but neither of them will admit it," Sam explains.

Adam nods in understanding. "Idiots."

Sam chuckles. "I know. Gabriel and I are trying to get them together."

"Can I help?" Adam asks.

Sam grins. "Spoken like a true Winchester," he replies, and Adam can't help but smile at that.


	8. Chapter 8

It's dark outside when Gabriel  _finally_  returns to the cabin. Sam is sitting and reading in the second bedroom. Adam and Samandriel are in the living room, where Adam's sleeping on the couch - he was offered a bedroom, but he chose the couch instead - and Dean and Castiel went off to go grocery shopping about half an hour ago. Castiel looked slightly terrified at the prospect, but Dean dragged him - almost literally - along with him. So the house is quiet when Gabriel greets Sam with a kiss on the side of his neck.

Sam grins and turns his head. "About time you got back," he replies. "What took you so long?"

"Michael and I talked for a while, then we went up to Heaven so he could be the leader up there again," Gabriel replies.

Sam frowns. "Michael is the new leader of Heaven?"

Gabriel nods, lounging on the bed. "Yup. I didn't want the position, he did, and he used to do it anyway. He's in charge again."

"Huh," Sam replies, putting down his book and lying down next to Gabriel on the bed. "Will he be a good leader, do you think?"

"I think so," Gabriel replies. "But can he please stop cockblocking us all the way from Heaven?" Sam laughs and kisses Gabriel tenderly. Gabriel smiles against Sam's lips. "Now this is what I'm talking about," he adds as Sam pulls away for air.

Sam just grins and kisses him again. "So Adam thought Dean and Cas were dating. He-"

"Those brothers are not welcome cockblocks either," Gabriel interrupts. "Can we forget about them and just have it be the two of us? Let's focus on each other, Sammy."

"Don't call me that," Sam protests half-heartedly as Gabriel pulls him in for another kiss.

"Fine, Samsquatch," Gabriel replies.

Sam laughs. "Gabriel…"

"Gigantor?" Gabriel tries, kissing Sam's neck.

"My name is Sam," Sam says in a fake stern voice. "It really doesn't need a nickname. It's short enough as it is."

"Gigantor it is, then," Gabriel replies playfully. "Unless you prefer Samsquatch."

"You're impossible," Sam replies with an affected sigh.

"You love me for it," Gabriel counters.

Sam laughs and kisses him on the nose, which they haven't really done before, but is kinda cute. "Guess I do," he replies.

There's silence for a moment, then Gabriel sighs heavily. "Sam, I've been thinking-"

"Don't strain yourself," Sam teases.

Gabriel gives him a disdainful look. " _Anyway_. I was thinking about your memories of the Cage."

"Oh," Sam replies. Gabriel can feel him stiffening. "What about them? I'm fine now, really. I mean, I was having the hallucinations of Lucifer for a while, but Cas took care of them and now I'm really fine. They're not a problem."

"Sam, calm down," Gabriel cuts in as Sam pauses for breath. "It's okay. I just… You shouldn't have to deal with those."

"I'm fine, Gabriel, really," Sam replies. The tension in his body is lessening, but it's still far from gone.

Gabriel sighs. "Just because you  _can_  deal with them doesn't mean you should."

Sam shrugs. "There's nothing we can do, is there? If the memories get taken away, that'll screw up my head even more. And the wall didn't work. Yeah, that was kind of Cas's fault, but it was falling on its own anyway."

"What about what Adam and Samandriel did?" Gabriel suggests.

Sam frowns. "What, you mean share the memories? With whom?"

"Me," Gabriel replies.

Almost before he's spoken the word, Sam starts to shake his head. "No. No, Gabriel, you're not doing that. I won't let you."

"Why  _not_ , Sam?" Gabriel asks in an exasperated voice. "I can handle the memories. Trust me. I've got millennia of experience that'll probably drown them right out. And it's not like I haven't, hmm, I don't know,  _died_  at Lucifer's hands. I can take on the memories of century or two of torture from him, no problem."

"I don't want you to," Sam replies. He's refusing to look at Gabriel. "The memories… They're bad, Gabriel. Really bad. It's almost two hundred years of torture at the hands of the _Devil_. This is just like what you said to me. Just because you can handle them doesn't mean you should."

"Yeah, but if we share them, they won't be as bad for either of us," Gabriel counters. "Look at Samandriel and Adam. Yeah, neither of them are in top shape, but they're not too bad. And that's a longer period of time in Hell, and Samandriel's much younger than I am. If he can deal with it, I'm sure I can. I'm an archangel, remember?"

"Gabriel, I don't  _want_  you to have to deal with it," Sam protests. "I don't want you to have these thoughts in your head."

"Yeah, but Sam, even if Cas fixed your head for a while, that doesn't mean it's fixed forever," Gabriel counters. "The hallucinations of Lucifer have stopped, but you've still got the memories that caused them. What will it take for them to come back?"

"Are you saying I'm weak?" Sam demands.

Gabriel sighs. "No, Sam, I'm saying that you're human. And your brain isn't meant to deal with this. Hell, a human brain isn't meant to deal with over two hundred years of memories in the first place. And you're definitely not made to deal with memories of what Lucifer did to you!"

"I can handle it!" Sam half-shouts. It's a good thing Gabriel took the precaution of using his powers to soundproof the room before they started talking or their argument would be sure to wake up Adam. "I'm fine, Gabriel. I don't need to be babied, I don't need your help. I need you to be happy and okay and  _you_. And I'm afraid that if you get these memories, you won't be you anymore.  _That's_  what I'm worried about, okay?"

"Sammy, I'll be  _fine_ ," Gabriel protests. He can see and feel Sam's body quivering next to him.

"Yeah, but what if you're not?" he replies, his voice shaking. "What if you're changed, what if you're different, what if… what if you don't love me anymore?"

"Oh, Sam," Gabriel sighs, snuggling a bit closer to the hunter. "Is that what this is about? You think that I won't love you for some reason after I get your memories? Because that will never happen. I will  _always_  love you, Sam, no matter what. There's nothing in those memories that could ever make that stop."

"Gabriel, you can't pretend these memories won't change you," Sam replies desperately. "Even if just a little bit. You won't be the same."

"I will, Sam. In all the ways that matter," Gabriel argues. "I'll still love you. I'll still be a joker. I'll still be  _me_. You don't need to worry about that."

"Is it wrong that I don't want you to do something that'll hurt you?" Sam demands. "These memories are  _bad_ , Gabriel. Really bad. I don't want you to have to take that on."

"And I don't want you to have to deal with them at all," Gabriel replies. "But we don't always get what we want. So let's compromise? Isn't that what functional couples do or whatever?"

"But Gabriel…" Sam's voice is choked with tears.

Gabriel pulls him in and rubs his boyfriend's back like he's a (very oversized) child. "This will work, Sam. I promise you. Let's just do it. Let me help you."

"I don't want to hurt you," Sam sobs.

Gabriel presses a kiss to Sam's forehead. "It's hurting me to know that these memories are hurting you," he whispers. "Please let me help."

"I…" Sam's voice breaks. "Okay," he whispers after a long pause. "L-Let's do this."

"Really?" Gabriel asks. Yes, it's what he wants, but he didn't think Sam would actually agree to it.

"Yes, really," Sam replies, taking a shaky breath. "If you're sure, then we can do it."

"Okay," Gabriel replies, his voice still slightly shocked. "I'll, um, pray to my Dad then, I guess."

"Can we do it tomorrow?" Sam asks quietly.

Gabriel frowns. "Why?"

"I just want one more night," Sam replies softly.

Gabriel smiles gently. "Sure, Sammy. Sorry.  _Gigantor_."

Sam smiles slightly, then snuggles up against Gabriel's chest. Slowly, his breathing evens out and he falls asleep, the suggestion of a smile still playing at his lips.

* * *

 _It's hot. Unbearably hot. And a second later it's freezing cold, the temperature so low he can't feel his fingers. Voices are murmuring in the background, but all he can hear are his own screams. Because there's something tearing into him and oh_  God  _it hurts but there's nothing he can do. He screams again and-_

"Adam!"

With a cry, Adam jerks awake. Samandriel is looking at him worriedly, his brow creased. "Did you see it too?" Adam gasps out.

Samandriel shrugs slightly. "Bits and pieces. Not all of it." Adam can tell by the haunted look in his eyes that he caught the worst parts. "I am so sorry that you had to go through that, Adam," Samandriel whispers, and it's heartfelt and real, the way he's saying it. Samandriel really does wish that Adam didn't have to have the memories.

"I'm okay," Adam pants out. He's still breathing hard, as if he just ran a marathon, but he doesn't care. He's alive, he's safe, he's not in the Cage. That's good enough.

"You are not," Samandriel replies, looking worried. "We should have asked for a wall in your memories."

"I'm fine, Samandriel," Adam insists. Samandriel doesn't look convinced. Adam thinks hard for something to distract him. "Can I call you something shorter than Samandriel?" he ends up blurting out. It's not as smooth as Adam would have liked, but it'll do.

Samandriel shrugs. "Dean calls me Alfie, so you could use that, if you wish." At Adam's confused look, Samandriel adds, "It's the name of my vessel and, when we first met, I was wearing a nametag with Alfie written on it."

"I don't know," Adam replies with a sigh. "We can't do Sam or Sammy, I don't think Alfie's right… How about Andy?"

"Andy?" Samandriel repeats.

Adam shrugs self-consciously. "Yeah. Sam _and_ riel. Andy."

Samandriel doesn't respond right away and Adam immediately feels like an idiot. Of course Samandriel wouldn't accept his nickname. He's an angel that's at  _least_  a couple of thousands of years old, and Adam's just a kid who's barely in his twenties. Why would Samandriel want a nickname from him?

"I like it," Samandriel announces suddenly, cutting off Adam's internal self-deprecating monologue. "Andy," he says again, rolling the name around in his mouth. "Yes, I like it a lot. Could you call me that?"

"You don't have to just say you like it if you really don't," Adam offers.

Samandriel smiles. "I do like it," he replies. Adam timidly smiles back. He can't help it. Samandriel's smile is infectious. And he looks damn cute when he smiles. Because, let's face it, Samandriel is _hot_. Like, he-could-be-a-freaking-model hot. And he's exactly Adam's type. Yeah, Adam hadn't exactly been expecting the angel thing when he figured out his type, but it's not like it detracts from Samandriel's awesomeness in any way. On the contrary, it adds to it. He's a freaking  _angel_. That's pretty awesome.

"Okay," Adam says, realizing the pause has been a little long. "Andy it is."

Samandriel's smile lights up the whole room. Adam beams in return. It's ruined by a yawn.

"You must still be tired," Samandriel says instantly. Adam shrugs. The answer is yes, he's freaking  _exhausted_ , but he wants to spend a bit more time with Samandriel before going back to sleep. "If you wish to sleep, I can keep the nightmares away," Samandriel offers.

Adam grins. "I'm good, Samandriel. Really."

Samandriel looks a little worried. "If you insist. I know little of how the human body works. But I am surprised that you do not require more rest."

"I'll sleep soon. Just… not quite yet."

Samandriel frowns in confusion. "Why? I swear to you that you will not have nightmares."

Adam bites his lip. "I… I wanna talk."

If anything, Samandriel only looks more confused. "About what?"

Adam shrugs. "Anything. Tell me about Heaven. Or tell me about your experiences on Earth. I don't care. I just want to talk."

"I doubt you would find hearing about either Heaven or my experiences here very enjoyable," Samandriel replies, refusing to make eye contact.

Adam frowns. "Why? I don't remember Heaven being that bad."

"There was recently a… war. A civil war in Heaven. Castiel fought Raphael to keep him from restarting the Apocalypse. And the aftermath was… horrible," Samandriel explains haltingly. "It was a terrible fight. I was on Castiel's side. We won, but barely. And only because Castiel made a deal with a demon. None of us knew, but it had been his plan practically from the beginning."

"What was the deal?" Adam asks.

Samandriel takes a slightly shuddery breath. "Castiel... He opened the door to Purgatory. It's where monsters go when they die. Castiel tried to use the souls for power, but they overtook him and used his body for their own purposes. Many angels and humans died. When Castiel finally managed to overcome them and send them back to Purgatory, with the aid of the Winchesters, he was unable to send back the Leviathans, the first monsters. They took over his body and killed him."

"Oh my God," Adam whispers. Everything Samandriel's saying sounds like it's coming out of a novel or something, and yet Adam believes that it happened. He doesn't even bother to question the fact that Castiel died and he's here again now. Between this, Sam's story earlier, and what happened to Adam himself, he's accepted that Winchesters and the people around them don't often stay dead when they die.

"The Leviathans terrorized Earth, but we were unable to do anything about it in Heaven. We were all struggling to recover from the damage done to us. When my Father brought Gabriel back from the dead, it helped, but we were still too overcome with our own problems to provide aid here," Samandriel continues.

Adam frowns slightly. "Okay, so Heaven sounds like a pain. What about Earth? You said I wouldn't like hearing about that either. What happened here?"

Samandriel lets out a bitter laugh. "The entire time I have been on Earth, but for the first few days and the last few, I have been tortured by the demon Crowley."

"You've been  _what_?" Adam demands loudly. Suddenly, he's not tired anymore. He's wide awake and ready to beat the shit out of whoever dared to hurt Samandriel. It's a very aggressive response, and he really hasn't known Samandriel long enough to justify it, but it's not like Adam can control his instinctual reactions to things.

"Crowley wished to know things that only an angel would know," Samandriel replies, not meeting Adam's eyes. "He managed to kidnap me and tortured me. Heaven thought I was dead. Then I managed to get a message through and Castiel, Sam, and Dean rescued me."

"Did they kill Crowley?" Adam demands.

Samandriel shakes his head. "Crowley is the King of Hell. He is not easily beaten. We ended up escaping without having to face him at all. And considering the condition I was in and the condition Castiel was in, we barely escaped with our lives as it was. We would not have survived if we had faced Crowley."

"What did he do to you?" Adam demands.

In response, Samandriel lifts his bangs. In the middle of his forehead is a red circle. "These marks are all that remains now," he explains, "but Crowley put screws in my head. That was the worst part. The other injuries were far more easily healed, but these persisted longer."

"He put screws in your head?" Adam asks, his voice slightly weak.

Samandriel nods. "But I am well now, and I am safe from Crowley. Well, as safe as I could possibly be." In response to Adam's unasked question, Samandriel adds, "Sam, Dean, and Castiel have faced Crowley and survived before, and Gabriel is an incredibly powerful archangel. In their company, I will be safe. And you will as well."

"But he tortured you," Adam protests. "I mean, I know about torture, considering what I've been through, and I bet Crowley, being King of Hell and all, was pretty good at it."

"I am fine, Adam," Samandriel replies comfortingly. "I am safe and I am almost completely healed. If anything, we should be worried about you. Your length of time being tortured by Lucifer was far longer than my period tortured by Crowley."

"Yeah, but…" Adam can't explain that the reason he's so worried is because he cares for Samandriel. He doesn't want to get into that. But at the same time, he needs an excuse to be this upset. "I don't want to think about you being hurt like that, Andy. I mean, we're friends. Right?"

"Of course we are," Samandriel replies reassuringly. But there's something in his voice… If Adam didn't know better, he would think it was longing for something more.

Then again, maybe it is.

Adam's not stupid. He knows that sharing the memories sucks for Samandriel as much as it does for him. And he must have known that too, before he agreed to it. Which means Samandriel cared enough about Adam to do it anyway. That sounds like more than just friendship to Adam. And it's not like a relationship between a human and an angel isn't allowed or anything. Sam and Gabriel are living proof of that.

So maybe, just maybe, Samandriel feels the same way about Adam that Adam does for Samandriel.

"I-if you want to be, I don't know, more than friends, that would be okay with me," Adam stutters in reply. He  _meant_  to sound suave and cool. It didn't work.

"More than friends?" Samandriel asks with a curious head-tilt.

Adam shrugs. "I mean, I don't know. We don't have to be if you don't want to."

"Do you mean being lovers?" Samandriel asks.

Adam's face goes red. "Well, if you don't-"

"Because I would like that quite a bit," Samandriel continues, speaking over Adam.

Adam's eyes go wide. "You would?" he asks eagerly. Then he remembers to compose himself. He sounds like an overexcited teenage girl. "I mean, that's great!"

Samandriel smiles shyly. "I believe it is human tradition to kiss once a declaration like this is made," he replies questioningly.

Adam grins. "Yeah. Yeah it is."

Then Samandriel's lips are pressed against Adam's and it's awkward and uncoordinated and gentle and passionate and, above all,  _perfect_.


	9. Chapter 9

By the time Dean pulls the Impala up to the cabin, he's been laughing for what's probably been a solid fifteen minutes. Castiel's been glaring at him for the same length of time.

"I still don't see what was so amusing about my comment," he states petulantly, which only makes Dean laugh harder. "I was merely expressing my disbelief over the headline on the front of that newspaper!" Castiel protests. "I do not think it is a reputable resource."

"It's the Enquirer," Dean replies, struggling to regain control over himself. "Everyone knows it's not real. It's basically a joke, Cas."

"And how was I to know that?" Castiel grumbles.

Dean grins widely. "No, but the best part was the look on the cashier's face." Castiel pouts - actually freaking  _pouts_  - at the comment. "And your…" Dean has to bite his lip to keep from bursting into another bout of laughter. He gives Castiel a serious look. "Don't ever change," he tells him sternly.

Castiel still looks slightly offended by the laughing, but the sentiment, an echo of what Dean told him years ago, makes him soften a bit. "I'll bring the bags into the kitchen," he offers.

"Wait, but aren't you not supposed to strain your-" Dean starts, but Castiel's already gone. "Wings," Dean finishes with a sigh. "Stupid angel."

Dean gets out of the Impala and trudges up to the door of the cabin. He opens it quietly, expecting Adam to be asleep on the couch. Instead, his eyes go wide as he's greeted by a scene he never would have expected in a million years.

Adam and Samandriel are  _kissing_.

Dean stares for half a second before silently closing the door behind him and sneaking into the kitchen. Neither Adam nor Samandriel notice him. Castiel is in the kitchen, leaning on a chair and looking a little pale.

Dean frowns. "Cas, you okay?" he asks worriedly.

Castiel looks at him with an embarrassed smile. "I overextended myself," he replies, looking chagrined. "I should not have attempted to fly yet."

"What did I say, Cas?" Dean demands in a voice that is a lot more annoyed than he actually feels. Castiel looks down. "It's fine, you idiot," Dean adds, feeling a little bad about snapping at him. "Let's put the groceries away."

Castiel shyly starts to get the groceries out of their bags. Dean watches him for a moment, then smiles and moves to do the same. The fact that Adam and Samandriel were kissing only cements the idea that Sam and Gabriel already instilled in Dean's mind, that angels aren't unwilling to be with humans. But even among angels, Castiel is pretty weird, so Dean shouldn't take the other angels as a standard to judge Castiel on.

A plan slowly unfolds in Dean's mind. It's stupid and childish and there's a high chance that it'll go wrong, but it's subtle, so Dean decides he'll try it. It's not like he has anything to lose.

"So I just saw Adam and Samandriel kissing on the couch," he says conversationally.

Castiel's back is facing him, so Dean can't discern a reaction. "Really?" he asks. His voice is neutral. Dean can't tell if he's making it so or if he really just doesn't care.

"Yeah," Dean replies. "Are relationships like that common? You know, angel and human?"

Dean's pretty sure Castiel's back stiffens before answering. "They are not common, but nor are they uncommon."

Dean nods in understanding. "God, this cabin has become a giant freaking chick flick," he remarks offhandedly.

Castiel turns around with a confused frown on his face. "What do you mean?" he asks as he grabs some more groceries to put away.

Dean grabs another bag as well before continuing. "With all the relationships and shit," he replies. "I mean, Sam and Gabriel are dating, and now it looks like Adam's dating Samandriel too."

Castiel shrugs almost imperceptibly. "As I already said, it is not unheard of," he replies.

"Yeah, but it's my brothers," Dean replies. "Almost seems like it runs in the family or something." No reaction from Castiel. "At least we'll never be like that. We're just friends, right, Cas?"

"Of course," Castiel replies in a completely normal voice. Dean's heart sinks. There's no reaction. If Castiel cared about him that way, surely there would be a reaction. Right?

"Good," Dean replies. He yawns widely. He hadn't thought he was tired, but apparently he is.

"Why don't you go to bed?" Castiel suggests. "I can finish up with the groceries."

"Really?" Dean asks, grinning. "Thanks, Cas. You're the best." Dean claps Castiel on the shoulder as he walks past him. Castiel only smiles softly in response.

When Dean gets to his bedroom, he's sure he won't be able to fall asleep. His mind is whirring through all of the possible interpretations of what just happened. But apparently, he's exhausted, because the second Dean's head hits the pillow, he's out like a light.

* * *

Gabriel frowns slightly when he hears someone knocking on the bedroom door. Sam is still fast asleep and Gabriel's planning out what will be a _fabulous_  prank, but his thoughts are interrupted by the soft rapping at the door. Carefully, so as not to wake Sam, he gets up and goes over to let whoever's outside in.

On the other side of the door is Castiel, his face tearstained. Gabriel's eyes go wide. "Cas, what happened?"

Another tear slips down Castiel's face as he gives Gabriel a look that makes it seem like he just saw someone kick a puppy or something. "That was a cruel trick to play, Gabriel," he whispers, his voice choked with tears. "I thought you above that."

Gabriel frowns in confusion. "What trick?" he asks, thinking hard. There's nothing he's done recently that would make Castiel this upset.

"Making me believe that Dean cares for me as I care for him!" Castiel replies in a voice that Gabriel thinks is supposed to sound angry. It just sounds miserable.

Then the words catch up with Gabriel and his eyes narrow in anger. "What the hell did that idiot say this time?" he demands.

"He's not an idiot," Castiel reprimands. Gabriel almost rolls his eyes. Even when Dean's clearly broken Castiel's heart, the lovestruck fool still won't let anyone insult him. Typical. "He just made it quite clear that he only cares for me as a friend." Castiel's breath hitches halfway through the sentence and by the time he's done with it, new tears are streaming down his face.

"What did he say?" Gabriel demands angrily.

Castiel takes a moment to compose himself before answering. "He saw Adam and Samandriel kissing," Castiel says softly. "And he told me that the whole cabin seemed to have become a 'chick flick.'"

"Well that's not that bad," Gabriel says, trying to be positive.

Castiel only looks more miserable. "That's not the worst part," he replies, his voice unsteady. "D-Dean said, a-and I quote, 'A-At least we'll n-never be like that. We're j-just friends, right, Cas?'" Castiel lets out another sob after telling Gabriel what Dean told him. Personally, Gabriel's about ready to strangle the idiot. He  _knows_  that Dean cares about Castiel. He and Sam both see it. Samandriel sees it. And apparently Adam sees it too, if what Sam was trying to say earlier in the evening is true. The only one that can't see it is Castiel.

"Look, Cas, Dean cares about you-" Gabriel tries, but it only looks like it makes Castiel feel worse.

"No!" he sobs. "Stop telling me that Dean cares about me when he clearly doesn't!"

"He's just being an idiot," Gabriel replies, trying to be soothing. "I doubt he's comfortable with his own feelings, so he's just trying to deny them. This is  _Dean_. That's what he does."

"Stop it!" Castiel can barely get the words out through his fast-flowing tears. Gabriel's never seen his brother this emotional ever before. "Stop lying to me, Gabriel!"

"I'm not lying!" Gabriel protests. "Ask Sam. Ask Samandriel. Ask Adam. We can all see that Dean cares, so why the hell can't you?"

"Because he doesn't!" Castiel cries. He can't seem to stop sobbing. "And why would he? I'm a  _monster_. Look at the things I've done."

"Cas," Gabriel says in a half-scolding, half-weary tone. "You're not a monster."

"Death follows me wherever I go!" Castiel protests through his tears. "I'm a poison. I ruin everything! No wonder Dean doesn't care about me!"

"I thought we went through this already," Gabriel replies. "You're  _not_  a poison. You  _don't_  ruin everything. You're  _not_  a monster."

Castiel looks like he wants to argue, but his own tears cut him off and he can't speak through them. Gabriel puts a comforting arm around Castiel's shoulders and leads him to the bed. Sam's still asleep somehow. Gabriel plans on trying to keep it that way, but he's not sure if he'll be able to manage it.

"Cas, listen to me," he says softly. Castiel looks up at him through his tears. "Dean cares about you. And you deserve to have someone care about you like that. I know where this is probably coming from." Castiel avoids eye contact with Gabriel. "It's from what Naomi said, isn't it?"

"She was right," Castiel mumbles.

"She wasn't," Gabriel replies firmly. "You were trying your hardest. You were pushed into an impossible situation and you did the best you could."

"Killing Balthazar was 'the best I could'?" Castiel asks bitterly, complete with air quotes. "Killing thousands of our siblings was 'the best I could'? Taking in all the souls of Purgatory and releasing the Leviathan onto Earth was 'the best I could'?"

"What else were you supposed to do?" Gabriel replies rhetorically. "Hell, if I were in your position and I had to face off with Raphael, I probably would have jumped at that deal too."

"I shouldn't have," Castiel mutters. "I should never have made a deal with the King of Hell."

"Sam and Dean did the same thing only the year before," Gabriel reminds him. "It's not like it's unprecedented. You needed a solution, and fast. Crowley offered one. So you took it. It's what most people would have done."

"Yes, but-"

"And you fixed the Leviathan problem," Gabriel continues, not allowing Castiel to speak. "You and Dean killed Dick Roman and sent the bastard back to Purgatory. And you were batshit crazy at the time. That's an accomplishment."

"But-"

"And you made the deal to prevent the freaking  _Apocalypse_ , so I'd say that you probably saved more lives than you took," Gabriel adds. "Like I said. You did the best you could, Cas."

"But that still doesn't address the true issue," Castiel argues. "The problem is that you lied to me" - Castiel's voice gets choked up here, and Gabriel puts an arm around his brother's shoulders only to have it shrugged off - "and made me hope that Dean loves me when he clearly doesn't."

"We've been over this, Cas!" Gabriel replies in a voice that's slightly louder than he meant for it to be. Sam shifts in his sleep but doesn't wake up. "Dean loves you."

"No he doesn't!" Castiel protests, and tears are starting to slide down his face again. "He doesn't love me. Stop saying that he does!"

"Cas-"

"He doesn't!" Castiel's voice is getting almost hysterical. "This is a cruel joke to play, Gabriel, and I would thank you to  _stop_!"

"It's not a joke!" Gabriel protests.

"Well, if you truly think that you're correct, I would like to inform you that you're  _not_ ," Castiel replies. "Dean d-doesn't care for me like that." More tears are streaming down Castiel's face. "He doesn't and I can accept that. But you only made it hurt more."

"I never meant to hurt you, Cas," Gabriel replies softly.

Castiel closes his eyes. "I know," he whispers. "But that doesn't mean you didn't."

The sorrow on Castiel's face is awakening Gabriel's big-brother instinct with a vengeance and he's about ready to go kill Dean. Then, an idea comes to him, and it's  _brilliant_. It's simple, but he thinks it might actually work. Especially with what just happened. But there's still the underlying urge to go and murder Dean, so Gabriel thinks he'd better leave the cabin, just to be safe.

"Okay, Cas, I have to leave so I don't kill Dean," Gabriel starts explaining softly.

Castiel sighs. "It's not Dean's fault-" he tries to put in, but Gabriel just speaks over him.

"So I'm going to wake up Sammy so he can stay with you, okay?"

"I don't need someone to stay with me," Castiel protests.

Gabriel raises an eyebrow. "You can say that all you want, but with the shit you've been spouting recently, I'd rather be safe than sorry." Gabriel gets up and goes over next to Sam. "Sammy?" he asks softly.

"I'm already up," Sam replies groggily. "You two need to be quieter when you're in a room where someone's sleeping," he complains.

"I apologize," Castiel says softly.

Sam sighs. "Cas, I didn't hear much, but I know that my brother was an idiot. I'm sorry about that."

"Your dumbass brother broke my dumbass brother's heart," Gabriel explains to Sam. "So I'm leaving so I don't end up killing Dean, and I want you to stay with Cas."

"I don't need a babysitter," Castiel objects. He's ignored.

"Sure," Sam replies, yawning widely. Gabriel smiles softly and kisses Sam gently on the lips. He uses a bit of his angel mojo, as the Winchesters call it, to wake Sam up a bit more.

"Thanks, Sammy," he replies. "Cas, Dean is an idiot, but he loves you." Before Castiel has a chance to disagree, Gabriel flies off. He goes to his secret corner of Heaven where he took Castiel - was it really earlier that same day? - and starts to plan. This is the most private place he can think of, and he definitely needs someplace where he won't be disturbed.

After all, it's no easy job, getting two emotionally constipated idiots to admit that they're in love with each other.

But before he starts, Gabriel  _might_  do a little messing around within a certain hunter's dream.

* * *

_The lake before him is placid. Dean has been to this place before, many times. He sits in a chair on the dock and holds a fishing rod casually in his right hand, but he knows he probably won't catch anything. He never seems to catch a fish here._

_The day is the sort of perfect day that you normally only see in movies. The sun is shining brightly, but not too brightly and it's not too hot either. There's a gentle breeze that whispers through the trees behind Dean's seat on the dock. There's a cooler to the left of him that he knows is full of beers, so he'll have a drink if he gets thirsty. It's perfect. Far more perfect than his life ever gets. Which is why he knows it's a dream. He always knows that it's a dream. But he's still had the same dream of the same lake time and time again._

_The lake is real. The memory that he's in is real as well, albeit modified greatly. When Dean was seven and Sam was three, Bobby took them both to a lake, this lake, for a day off. The plan was for Sam to watch while Dean and Bobby fished, but about ten minutes in, Sam decided that watching was boring and tried to jump off the dock. Bobby was able to stop him with time to spare and he took the boy to go get ice cream, leaving Dean sitting on the end of the dock with a fishing rod in his hand, the line cast out into the lake. He didn't catch anything that day. Neither did Bobby. Dean guesses that's why he never catches anything in his dreams. The memory modifies itself as he gets older - enlarging the chair from a child's size to an adult's size, making him grow in the dream to match his aging in the real world, adding the cooler full of beer as he starts to enjoy the drink more - but it's still basically the same. Dean, fishing alone on the dock, having a perfectly peaceful day at the lake._

_Except this time, it's different._

_It's not bad-different. And it's not just different-different either. The difference in this dream is awesome. Because this time, sitting next to Dean on the dock in his own chair, is Castiel._

_"Isn't it beautiful out?" Dean asks, painfully aware that this is only a dream and this isn't actually Castiel sitting next to him._

_"Yes, it is," dream-Castiel replies. "And very peaceful. Is this what you dream about often?"_

_"You're not really Cas, just popping in on my dream, are you?" Dean asks, suddenly worried._

_Dream-Castiel laughs. "No. I'm just part of your subconscious. When you wake up, I'll be gone."_

_"Why are you here?" Dean asks._

_Dream-Castiel shrugs._ _"It's your head," he replies. "Why do you think I'm here? In this memory, one of your most precious moments, so dear to you that you haven't shared it with anyone?"_

_"Are you psychoanalyzing me?" Dean asks incredulously. "Is my own freaking subconscious psychoanalyzing me?"_

_"Maybe," dream-Castiel replies with a sly smile._

_Dean rolls his eyes._ _"Well, if you're supposed to be like Castiel, my subconscious is doing a crappy job at it," Dean replies. "You're not like Cas at all."_

_"Would you prefer I be more like him?" dream-Castiel asks. "I can be exactly as you picture Castiel. But where's the fun in that?"_

_"Why are you here?" Dean asks again._

_Dream-Castiel shrugs._ _"Perhaps because you wish to have me with you. The real me," he replies. "You just refuse to admit it to yourself. So your own freaking subconscious has to come to you in a dream to get you to pull your head out of your ass."_

_"And now my subconscious is insulting me," Dean replies. "Awesome."_

_"Think what you want. But I'm just saying what you know inside. I'm you, Dean." The image of Castiel slowly morphs into an image of Dean. Not-Dean smiles at real-Dean. "See? I'm you." Not-Dean turns back into Castiel. "So maybe you should listen to me a bit when I say that you're in love with Castiel, he's in love with you, and the two of you should realize when you've got a good thing and take advantage of it, because something like this doesn't happen all that often."_

_"Can I go back to my dream now?" Dean asks sarcastically. Dream-Castiel sighs and disappears. Dean goes back to fishing peacefully on the lake, though he's now got the nagging feeling that something is missing. Damn his freaking subconscious for making him think about things he's perfectly content ignoring!_

Not that long after dream-Castiel disappears, Dean wakes up. He rolls over, falls back asleep, and remembers nothing of his dream when he wakes up the next morning.


	10. Chapter 10

By the next morning, Gabriel's perfected his plan - which was pretty awesome in the first place, if he does say so himself (and he does) - and he's ready to put it into action. The first step is for him to get Sam, Adam, and Samandriel and tell them his idea. He can't take them up to his spot in Heaven, since Adam and Sam would have to be dead for that, which probably wouldn't go over too well. Instead, he decides to bring them all to the same spot in Hawaii that he went to with Michael.

First, Gabriel goes to get Sam. He's fallen asleep again. Castiel is sitting at the foot of the bed with his face buried in his hands. He doesn't notice when Gabriel freezes time for a second, grabs Sam, and replaces him with a duplicate.

"Gabriel?" Sam asks groggily.

Gabriel puts his finger to his lips. "We need to get Adam and Samandriel. I've got a plan to get Dean and Cas together, but I need to explain," he whispers back. Sam nods. Both invisible, thanks to Gabriel's powers, the two sneak out to the living room.

"Samandriel!" Gabriel hisses, turning visible.

Samandriel jumps. "Gabriel, what are you doing?"

Gabriel instantly shushes him. "Whisper!"

"What's going on?" Samandriel asks in a low voice.

Gabriel grins. "Do you and Adam want to help us get Dean and Cas together?"

Samandriel smiles as well. "Yes," he replies. He bends over Adam and shakes him awake. "Adam, you need to wake up."

"What's going on?" Adam grumbles, opening his eyes.

Gabriel grins. "I've got a great plan and I'm going to need your help. Samandriel, I'll take Sammy and you take Adam. Follow me." Samandriel does so without question and they appear on the same beach that Gabriel took Michael too.

"Well, this is much better!" Gabriel says loudly, conjuring four beach chairs with a snap of his fingers.

"Is this Hawaii?" Sam asks, looking around. Adam seems shocked and Samandriel won't stop staring at the ocean.

"Yes it is," Gabriel replies, grinning. "Vacation. My treat."

"What are we doing here?" Sam asks.

Gabriel shrugs. "It's private. And I want to explain my plan."

"Go ahead," Adam says, sitting down in one of the chairs. Samandriel sits next to him, but he still seems transfixed by the sea in front of them.

"We're locking those two idiots in the cabin until they admit their feelings for each other," Gabriel proclaims simply.

Sam looks at Gabriel in surprise. "You really think that'll work?"

Gabriel shrugs. "I think the stage is set. The two idiots have to admit it at some point, and if we push them in the right direction, I think that 'some point' could be now."

Sam smiles. "I'm assuming there's a little more to the plan than just locking them in the house."

Gabriel grins back. "Maybe a little bit," he replies. "Do you want to do it?"

"Sounds good to me," Adam replies.

"Can we stay here while we wait?" Samandriel asks eagerly.

Gabriel grins widely. "Sounds good to me," he replies. Samandriel's face lights up. "Sam, what do you think?"

"Count me in," Sam replies.

Gabriel snaps his fingers. "The cabin's locked and Cas can't fly out either. And I've left a note for each of them explaining what's going on." Gabriel grins wickedly. "This should be fun."

* * *

Castiel jumps when Sam suddenly disappears from the bed. For a moment, he's horrified, certain that both Dean and Gabriel are going to kill him. Then he notices a note on the pillow with his name written on it.

In Gabriel's handwriting.

Castiel picks up the note and opens it, certain that he won't like what's written inside. It's in English, which is surprising. He would have expected it to be written in Enochian, considering it's a letter between two angels. Castiel wonders if it's not meant for just him, but his curiosity overtakes him and he unfolds the paper.

As Castiel reads it, he realizes he's right. He  _doesn't_  like what's written inside.

_Hey, Cas! By this point, you've probably noticed that Sam's gone. In case you're wondering, Samandriel and Adam are gone too. We're all sick of you and Dean having the worst case of unresolved sexual tension in the history of the world (and no, that is not an exaggeration), so we've made an ultimatum. I've sealed the cabin. No one can get in or out until I open it up again. That includes you and Dean. I won't open it until you two finally admit your feelings for each other. And I assure you that the rest of us can wait you out. Have fun! Your loving brother, Gabriel._

Castiel buries his face in his hands. How can his brother do this to him? He thought that, after the conversation they had the night before, Gabriel finished trying to play matchmaker, but apparently he isn't done yet. And they discussed the fact that Dean  _doesn't_  have feelings for Castiel, which he made abundantly clear, so Castiel thought that Gabriel was finished trying to hurt him with these lies. He forgave Gabriel before, but now he's pissed again. There's no excuse this time.

Castiel goes out and checks, just on the off chance that Gabriel's messing with him, but the living room is empty. It's only him and Dean in the house. The door and all the windows refuse to open and when Castiel tries to fly outside, he reaches a barrier that he can't get past. He's trapped. Castiel never thought of himself as claustrophobic, but he's realizing now that he really doesn't like being trapped somewhere that he can't escape from.

Dean's still sleeping, so Castiel supposes the best next step is to wake him up and inform him of their predicament. There's a letter on Dean's pillow and Castiel almost wants to read it, but he doesn't. He respects Dean's right to privacy too much to do that. Besides, Castiel can imagine what it reads.  _Dean, I'm playing a cruel prank on Castiel. Can you play along? Thanks, Gabriel._  Castiel can only hope that Dean's not as mean as his brother and he refuses to cooperate.

"Dean," Castiel states, shaking Dean slightly.

Dean groans and opens his eyes blearily. "Cas? What's going on?" he asks, rubbing his eyes.

Castiel sighs and gestures at Dean's letter. "Gabriel is playing a prank of some sort. We can't leave the house. I assume it's explained in the letter."

Dean picks up the sheet of paper and reads it. His eyes go wide, looking almost panicked, and he puts it down. "Well, that's just  _awesome_ ," he sighs. "You're sure we can't get out? Have you tried?"

"Yes, Dean," Castiel replies in a slightly testy voice. "The door won't open, the windows won't either, and I can't fly out. We're trapped."

"Shit," Dean swears. "Well, I guess we'll just have to wait them out. Are you hungry?"

The sudden question takes Castiel off-guard. "I do not require any food," he replies automatically.

Dean nods. "Right. Well, I'm starving, so I'm going to go get something to eat." Dean tucks the letter in his pocket and goes out to the kitchen. Castiel puts his hand over the pocket of his trench coat, where his own letter is hidden from sight, and follow Dean out.

He hopes that Gabriel doesn't persist with this ridiculous game for too long.

* * *

Samandriel stands on the beach, only a few feet away from the water, and stares out. The ocean before him is just as incredible as he always thought it would be. He can't believe that he's finally here, only a matter of feet away from the water. It's incredible.

"Hey," Adam's voice says at his side. Samandriel turns around. "The ocean's awesome, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is," Samandriel replies, looking back out. "I have never seen it before."

"You've never been to the beach before?" Adam demands.

Samandriel shakes his head. "No, never."

Adam looks at him in shock. "Okay, we're going swimming."

Samandriel's eyes go wide. "We don't need to do so, Adam," he tries to protest, but Adam won't have any of it.

"Gabriel!" he calls over. Gabriel looks up. "Can you give me and Andy some swim trunks?" Gabriel grins and snaps his fingers. Suddenly, Samandriel finds himself wearing only a pair of shorts made out of a strange material. Adam's wearing the same thing. Their clothes are neatly folded on their chairs. "Thanks!" Adam calls over.

"No problem," Gabriel yells back.

"You crazy kids have fun," Sam teases. Adam sticks his tongue out at him. Gabriel's changed his and Sam's chairs into a couch-like chair that fits both of them and is curled up next to Sam.

Adam turns to Samandriel. "Come on. Let's go in the water."

"I don't know how to swim!" Samandriel protests.

Adam grins. "Don't worry. I'm sure you won't drown. I mean, you're an angel. Anyway, if you do start to sink, I'll save you." Samandriel still feels slightly uneasy, but Adam won't budge. "Last one there is a rotten egg!" he cries gleefully, running towards the water.

"I don't understand what you mean," Samandriel calls after him half-heartedly. He's still slightly worried about going in the water. Yes, he's always wanted to see it up close, but not  _that_  close.

"Andy, come on!" Adam calls from in the water. He's about waist-deep and grinning widely.

Samandriel takes a deep breath and goes after him. He stops just before he gets to the waves. "Is it cold?" he asks.

Adam shakes his head. "It's Hawaii. I don't think the water  _can_  get cold in Hawaii. It's great. Just get in!" Adam goes in deeper until the water's up to his shoulders. "I promise I won't let anything happen to you."

Samandriel sighs and takes a tentative step forward. The water is warm and feels odd as it flows around his foot. The angel takes another step. "It feels so strange!" he tells Adam, not sure whether he should look down or in front of him.

Adam laughs and walks a bit closer to the shore. "Stop stalling and come in the water, you big baby," he teases.

Taking a deep breath, Samandriel steps farther in. It seems fine until-

"Oh!" Samandriel cries as he almost loses his balance. Adam's immediately by his side and keeping him from falling. "The ground just dropped!"

"Crap! I forgot to mention that!" Adam looks a little worried. "That's normal. It's okay. Just keep walking forward. It'll be steady now."

Samandriel walks a bit farther in. The water is halfway up his thighs. Adam beams at him.

"Isn't this great?" he asks.

Samandriel smiles back. "This is nice," he replies, going a bit deeper. Soon, the water's reached his chest. He looks back over at the shore to see that Sam and Gabriel appear to be kissing.

"Do you want to do that?" Adam asks, following Samandriel's gaze.

Samandriel's eyes widen. "You mean-"

"It's not like we haven't kissed already," Adam replies. A mischievous smile spreads across his face. "And kissing in the water is great."

"Why?" Samandriel asks curiously.

"Because you can do this," Adam replies. He kisses Samandriel hard and lifts his legs up to lock around Samandriel's waist. The water makes him lighter than normal and thus easier to hold up, but Samandriel barely notices as he kisses Adam back.

He has to agree. Kissing in the water  _is_  great.

* * *

Castiel can't help but wonder how long Gabriel's going to keep this charade up. He hopes it's not all that much longer. He hates it. He can't bring himself to look at Dean without feeling a spark of hope. Then he remembers that Dean  _doesn't_  care for him and the hope disappears. He doesn't know how much longer he can take it. It hurts every time. If Gabriel would just stop playing this twisted game, it wouldn't be as bad, but the cycle of hope and despair is only twisting the knife in Castiel's heart further.

"Are you sure you can't get out?" Dean asks for the thousandth time.

Castiel closes his eyes. "Yes," he replies tersely. "Every time I try, I hit a barrier that I cannot get around. And there are no weaknesses in it either. I've checked," he adds. Dean sighs overdramatically. "This isn't that bad," Castiel replies, even though he's hating every second. "I'm sure the others will come back before long."

"They'd better," Dean replies. Castiel notices that his fists are clenched. He's slightly confused. Surely this isn't  _that_  bad. Dean can't find it that terrible to spend time with him. But Dean still seems to want this to end as soon as possible, so perhaps it  _is_  that terrible.

There's a sudden fluttering sound and two folded pieces of paper appear on the table before Castiel. Dean jerks upright. "What's that?" he asks.

"Notes, I think," Castiel replies. "One of them is for you and the other is for me." Dean reaches out and grabs his letter while Castiel takes his with no small amount of trepidation. His name is written in Sam's handwriting instead of Gabriel's, though, so he hopes it won't be that bad. Hands shaking slightly, he unfolds the paper and starts reading.

 _Dean didn't leave your side the whole time you were unconscious,_  it starts. It's Sam's handwriting, but Castiel sees while scanning the letter that there are four paragraphs, each written in a different handwriting. He doesn't want to read the letter, he really doesn't.

But he does.

 _Dean didn't leave your side the whole time you were unconscious. It was two hours and he stayed next to you the whole time. I don't think I've ever seen him that worried, except maybe when Bobby was dying. He was so worried that he didn't even care to hide it, and you know how Dean is. He_ always _hides what he's feeling. And this isn't a new thing. Dean's cared about you for ages. After the Leviathans, when we thought you were dead, he had almost constant nightmares. And before that, after Van Nuys, he was worried the whole time and called you at least once a day. Dean has never stopped caring about you. I don't care if you don't think he's in love with you, he is. And this isn't something that you two should let pass you by. Chances for a love like this are rare. You should tell Dean how you feel. I guarantee you that he'll reciprocate it._

Castiel's hands are shaking so much that he can't hold the paper steady. He sneaks a look at Dean, who's staring at his paper in shock. He looks up and Castiel hurriedly returns his gaze to the paper. The next paragraph is in a handwriting he's never seen before; he assumes it's Adam's.

_When I saw you and Dean together, I thought you two were together. Which lead to a kind of embarrassing realization with Sam, when I called you two a couple without thinking, but regardless. This is an opportunity of a lifetime, Castiel. And I'm telling you right now, if you don't tell my brother how you feel, you'll regret it. Because he obviously cares about you. I haven't even been with you guys for a full day and I can already tell. When Michael came, he wanted to protect you from him. The two of you gravitate towards each other and I don't think you even realize that you're doing it. And before you protest or something, Dean does it just as much as you. He's obviously in love with you and you're obviously in love with him. I have no idea why the two of you can't see it when everyone else can, but it's true. Don't let this get away._

Castiel clenches his jaw and fights the hot wetness behind his eyes. This is only serving to twist the knife in his heart. He would have thought that the others weren't as cruel as Gabriel, but then again, he hadn't thought Gabriel would be this cruel either. The next paragraph is in Samandriel's handwriting. Castiel doesn't want to read it, but he can't put the paper down either.

_Dean has an unparalleled devotion for you. And I've heard the way you speak about him, as if he's the most precious thing in the world. When I talked to him the first time, it was when he thought he had left you behind in Purgatory. When we spoke about you, the pain on his face was indescribable. And while you were healing from the injuries Naomi dealt to you, he was with you the whole time. Sam's already said this, but it's true. I have not known Dean long, but I know that there are only a few people that he considers friends and fewer still that he trusts. You fall in both categories. After all, it would require quite a bit of devotion to agree to help a friend go against the King of Hell himself for the sake of someone you've only met once. I know as well as you that he did not rescue me for my own sake. It was for yours. I don't resent him for that. But that doesn't change the fact that Dean would only do such a thing for someone he truly cared for. He's clearly accepted you into his family, but he doesn't see you as a brother. That much is clear. That doesn't leave many other places, and I think we both know where you fall. Trust me, Castiel, Dean loves you. And you should tell him that you care for him as well._

Castiel ruthlessly squashes the warm feeling of hope that's budding in his chest. Because, no matter what the others say, Dean doesn't care for him like this. A sudden panic overtakes the hope. Does Dean's letter speak of how much Castiel loves Dean? He hopes it doesn't. Considering the circumstances, he  _really_  doesn't want Dean to know. He knows their friendship will be ruined if Dean ever finds out and being near Dean and knowing he can never have him in the way he wants him is far better than not being near him at all.

The last letter is in Gabriel's handwriting. Every fiber of Castiel's being is telling him to throw the letter down, to destroy it, obliterate it with his powers. But instead, he reads.

_I went into Dean's head last night. I know you're probably going to yell at me for it, but it's the truth. I was pissed at what he did to you and I decided to mess with his dream. And do you know what happened? I was just going to add you into it. And he ended up basically admitting to himself that he cares about you. Not in as many words, of course, but he's Dean Winchester. What do you expect? Anyway. Dean. Likes. You. He just doesn't want to say it to you because he's worried that you don't feel the same way. What he said to you last night? It was probably just him trying to push you away. You know how Dean is. He's scared of getting attached to people, so I'm sure that, when he realized that he was in love with you, he tried to push you away. He doesn't want you to get hurt, just like you don't want him to get hurt. The two of you are so similar it's ridiculous. With your personalities, you could either love each other or hate each other. And you definitely don't hate each other, so I think we both know what that leaves._

Castiel refolds the note as he finishes it. Dean's still staring at his in shock. "What did it say?" Castiel asks, his voice hoarser than normal.

Dean looks up at him, eyes wide. "It… Are you really in love with me?"

Castiel can feel the blood draining from his face. "I'm sorry," he whispers.

Dean stares at him, then laughs weakly. "Wow." Castiel can feel his heart twisting. "An angel is in love with me."

"I…" Castiel can't think of anything to say. "I'm sorry," he repeats helplessly.

Dean shakes his head. "Don't be," he replies.

Castiel tilts his head to the side in confusion. "Why?" he asks.

Dean's face breaks into a giant smile. "Because I love you too, you giant idiot." While Castiel's eyes practically double in size with shock, Dean gets up and sits down next to him. "Is that okay?"

"That's… awesome," Castiel replies, the word that Dean so often uses falling from his lips.

Dean looks almost shy. "Can I kiss you?"

Castiel nods, not sure that his voice will work. Dean leans forward a little bit and puts his lips against Castiel's. And it's like fireworks have gone off in Castiel's mind, because  _Dean Winchester is kissing him_.

Unbeknownst to either of them, the spell that Gabriel cast to trap them breaks the second they kiss. On an abandoned island in Hawaii, Gabriel relays that fact to the three others with him. The four laugh and cheer, and even though Gabriel knows that Dean and Castiel are still kissing, he suggests that they return to the cabin.

Which is why the most perfect moment of Castiel's life is ruined by applause.

"You two finally got together!" Gabriel squeals in a high falsetto. Sam has a devilish grin on his face. Samandriel looks a little embarrassed. Adam looks like he's on the verge of laughing.

"You suck, Gabriel," Dean growls.

Gabriel looks positively gleeful. "I  _knew_  my plan would work. Did you like your letters? I'm assuming they're what pulled your heads out of your asses."

"Only means there's room for other things now," Dean shoots back. Sam's grin instantly leaves his face. Samandriel looks puzzled. Adam looks horrified.

"You're disgusting!" Sam accuses.

Dean shrugs. "That's what you get for being a cockblock," he replies. Castiel smiles softly at the exchange, even though he's not quite sure what Dean's innuendo meant.

"Well, don't you two look like a picture-perfect couple," Gabriel coos.

Dean rolls his eyes. "Leave us alone, Gabriel."

"Make me," Gabriel challenges.

Dean shrugs. "We can just pretend you're not here," he suggests. He turns to Castiel and pulls him in by the trench coat. And suddenly, Dean's kissing Castiel again and though Castiel  _knows_  that they're probably making the others uncomfortable, he doesn't care.

Like Dean said, that's what they get for being cockblocks.

Whatever that means.

**Author's Note:**

> My writing tumblr is [here](http://winterskywrites.tumblr.com/), if you're interested.


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